IMPHAL, July 30: Maram in Senapati district is not a safe place for students as there have been numerous cases of physical assault on the students.
The latest incident has been the case of one Ringsanbou Newmai of Langmei village near Tamei, Tamenglong district.
Fumed by the incident, the Zeliangrong Students’ Union, Manipur (ZSUM) and Zeliangrong Youth Front (ZYF-Assam, Manipur and Nagaland) strongly condemned the physical assault meted out to one Ringsanbou Newmai, a Bachelor of Arts (History Hon) 5th semester student studying in Don Bosco Maram on July 28 at around 7:30 pm. Both the Zeliangrong organisations said the victim suffered severe internal injury damage liver, damage intestine apart from multiple injuries such as broken jaw on left side, head injury and bleeding due to hard blow by objects, cut marks on entire body because of beating by iron bars after hands were tied which is amount to murder attempt.
Recalling the past cases, ZSUM and ZYF said there had been instances where Don Bosco College Maram students belonging to Zeliangrong community were beaten severely. Citing the cases, ZSUM and ZYF said Mr. Joshua Pamei, a B.Com students, Mr. Elvis Kamei, a class-XII Arts students, Mr. Martin Gangmei, a B.A student and Mr. Widowbou Newmai, a student of 2nd semester Commerce were thrashed very badly at Maram. There were many students belonging to other communities who also faced similar treatment in the past, both the Zeliangrong organisations stated.
Meanwhile, on the July 28 incident, ZSUM and ZYF said the incident reportedly occurred when the victim due to influence of alcohol lost way and accidentally drop into a girls hostel namely ‘Josephine Girls Hostel’, a private run hostel accommodating about 20 to 30 students. Realising the wrong place the victim apologised to the warden for his mistake.
“However, the warden in turn contacted some unknown person suspected to be underground cadres over his mobile thereby four persons immediately arrived and started attacking the victim,” ZSUM and ZYF said. The Zeliangrong students who are studying in the Don Bosco College, Maram search for his where about following the victim not returned to his rented room for the night. However, on the next day the victim was found kept under captive for one night with hands and feet tied with iron chain, blind folded etc. The victim was subjected to various form of physical torture which are evident from cut marks on his entire body, ZSUM and ZYF alleged. The captors even demanded rupees ten thousand from the victim for his release, they further alleged. The victim was at last released following negotiation settled for a sum of rupees five thousand after the amount was contributed from the students belonging to the Zeliangrong community. “The victim could have been died instantly had the Zeliangrong students not rescue him.
The victim condition is very serious and now admitted in JNIMS hospital, Imphal for operation and further medical treatment,” ZSUM and ZYF added.
The Zeliangrong Students’ Union and Zeliangrong Youth Front then said they noted the incidents in the most serious manner. Such kind of persons involved in the incidents does not qualify to be a human beings in this modern era. The institution and hostel where the security and safety of a student cannot be provided or guaranteed is equally responsible for the incident, the ZSUM and ZYF stated.