IMPHAL, June 27 MNS NNN : At least 10 volunteers of the student wing of the Joint Coordination Committee on Inner Line Permit System (JCILPS) were injured on Thursday after the police resorted to heavy lathi charge at them without warning after some 200 volunteers of the wing tried to storm Manipur assembly now in session pitching up its demand for introduction of ILP in Manipur.
They organised a protest rally demanding introduction of ILP in Manipur. The protesters coming from different sides first gathered in front of LMS Law College, Imphal at Chingmeirong. At the moment, a large number of police personnel arrived at the scene. They then lathi charged them heavily without warning, injuring 10 volunteers after a skirmish ensued between the two sides. One of the injured was admitted in Public Hospital Hatta here. The police again detained five student protesters, who were later freed, following the lathi charge that dispersed them in front of LMS Law College, Imphal.
Addressing the media shortly after the incident at the All Manipur Student’s Union (AMSU) office, JCILMS student wing convenor M Angamba condemned the Thursday’s police action against the student protesters.
He called upon all the political parties and the people of the state to join hands in the campaign for implementation of ILP system under Bengal Eastern Frontier Regulations, 1873.
Angamba also urged the state police not to harass the students protesting against non-implementation of ILP in the state saying they are not working and struggling for their own welfare but for all.
Since June 1, the state government has been on high alert keeping up tight and strict security measures to thwart any untoward incident arising out of the ongoing agitation.
With the dateline of the ultimatum given to Manipur Government to clear its stance on introduction of Inner Line Permit system in the state had ended last month, JCILPS had stopped visiting of non-locals (people from mainland India) to the state from June 1-5 and it had prevented the outsiders to enter into the lanes and localities of the state from June 6-15.
Representatives of JCILPS had met the Chief Minister, Chief Secretary and other Cabinet ministers on May 20 during which they had discussed seriously about the ultimatum served JCILPS to the Government to announce its stance on implementation of ILP system in the state, the committee’s convenor Sapamcha Jadumani had said.
He had also said that during the meeting the Government side called for withdrawal of the committee’s decision to stop non-Manipuris from coming to the state. Jadumani had lashed out at the Chief Minister O Ibobi Singh for allegedly being double standard and accused the Congress Government of ignoring the resolution of the state assembly with regard to introduction of the ILP system under Bengal Eastern Frontier Regulations, 1873.
The design to convert Manipur into a ‘hybrid state’ was never right and the integrity of the nation could only be protected only when there was ILP system, Jadumani had commented earlier this month.
Read more / Original news source: http://manipur-mail.com/students-injured-in-police-action-ilp-stir/
