IMPHAL, June 18: The Democratic Students`™ Alliance of Manipur, DESAM, strongly condemning the arrest of its members including its president by the police yesterday on the charge of assaulting a teacher has urged the government to release the 16 arrested members within 24 hours.
In case the government fails to do this within the stipulated time, it warned it is making preparations to take the matter up in its own way.
A statement issued by DESAM`™s publicity and propaganda secretary, Premchand Tongbram, stated that the government should take full responsibility of any unwanted outcome arising out of any DESAM reaction.
DESAM is one of the bodies that revere and honour the contribution of teachers, it said adding that it appealed to the teachers community not to misinterpret its action.
Even as DESAM will continue to work with the teacher community, it however will not tolerate any misbehaviour on the part of the teachers, it continued.
It further questioned why the police had failed to arrest the guilty teacher who had infringed the right to education by terrorising a student when a `suo motto`™ case was lodged against its members for assaulting the guilty teacher?
There have been instances of serious violation of rights including Right to Education and Right to Life, in the heart of Imphal that never saw justice, it said, asking what the law makers were doing back then.
It asked the police department and state government to clarify whether the law of the land is applicable to only few sections of the society.
Remanding all the arrested members to further police custody despite the fact that some of the members were not involved in the incident clearly indicate the negative intent of the authorities concerned towards DESAM, it held.
Urging that the guilty teacher who had badly assaulted a student should be terminated and punish as per the law, it call on the students community to steadfastly stand against any infringement on the rights of the students especially the Right to Education.
It further divulged that it had alerted all its units in different districts and blocks to respond against government`™s negative attitude. Nevertheless, DESAM will continue its usual activities, it concluded.