All police stations and the paramilitary forces have been put on alert after six students' organisations launched fresh agitations in Manipur, demanding justice in the “murder” of Richard Loitam in Bangalore and Okram Laba in Chennai.
On Saturday, students locked up the offices of the Congress, the BJP, the Manipur People's Party and the CPI, accusing them of inaction. The police arrested 17 leaders. Some activists were wounded when the police tried to disperse the agitators with batons. The students said they would intensify their protest.
At the intervention of Home Minister G. Gaikhangam, the arrested students were released late at night.
Meanwhile, the parents of Loitam, both doctors, say they do not agree with the conclusion of Bangalore forensic experts that the student might have died of heart ailment. The mother, Vidyabati Loitam, avers that her son was a healthy boy and a football player to boot, without any heart ailment.
Meanwhile, Mr. Gaikhangam has appealed for restraint, pointing out that the government sent an IPS officer to Bangalore to coordinate the police investigation into the death of Loitam. The students demand a statement on the findings of the officer.
An official statement said the Ministry of Home Affairs asked all the States and Union Territories to adopt zero tolerance of discrimination against people of the northeast.
Girl molested
A Manipuri girl was molested at Gurgaon by an inebriated man on Thursday night.
The girl told journalists that she was returning home, along with her cousin at 9.45 p.m., when the accused molested her. When she resisted, he tried to hit her with a brick injuring her. When she reported the matter to a police station, the officer in charge initially refused to register a case, nor did he arrest the accused. The police even passed derogatory remarks against her cousin. However, a case was finally registered.
