IMPHAL, July 8: The Centre for Organisation Research and Education has expressed utter scorn for the `extreme abuse of power and failure of the Home Department of Manipur`™ to stem the disgraceful slide in the public affairs of Manipur.
A statement of the organisation said `The reported fatal injury suffered by a young boy of 16 years, Sapam Robinhood Singh was avoidable and preventable.`
It said `The Manipur Police have been trained in the use of tear gas projectiles and mob control, as stated by official information from the Manipur Police Training College (MPTC) at Pangei. But this report seems to say the very opposite. A peaceful rally is not a mob. Use of fire power by the police is under the domain of the district administration. Who gave the order to fire tear gas projectiles at the students? Excessive and disproportionate use of power is, unfortunately, the character of the Manipur Police.`
`We condemn the totally unjustified abrupt imposition of indefinite curfew in the Great Imphal area from 3:30 PM of 8th July 2015, seeking excuses in an imagined deterioration of law and order, as a clear demonstration of the total failure of the state administration.`
`Peaceful demonstrations and rallies are the very foundations of the democratic will of the people and the fundamental rights freedom of expression and assembly protected by the Indian Constitution, and not to be confused with deterioration of law and order. It is evident that the government of Manipur is not just anti-people but openly in contempt of the democratic principles of India.`
The statement continued `It is paradoxical that the government of India entered into an international human rights treaty on civil and political rights and entered into an obligation to uphold, promote and protect these rights, but it is left to the civil society, children, students and human rights defenders to perform these obligations!`
`As we grieve with the family of Sapam Robinhood and all the injured young students, we demand an immediate lifting of this draconian curfew imposed in Imphal and the immediate establishment of an independent and fair judicial inquiry into the incident in order to fix responsibility and liability in accordance to the law,` it said
The KSO General Headquarters has also taken strong exception of the State police`™s highhandedness over agitating students demanding Inner Line Permit (ILP) in the State where a class XI student of Ananda Singh Hr. Sec. Academy Sapam Robinhood Singh was killed in police action, said a statement of the student body.
The KSO strongly condemns the way the students were manhandled by the police, it said adding that it seems the Manipur government has no options other than firing tear gas, lathi-charge, physical assault and shutting down schools.
The world has now seen the ineptness of the State police in handling situation of the kind. It is unfortunate that students of the fairer sex were subjected to the same treatment as the boys. This is just unfair, it said.
The students agitated just to voice their grievances to the government. The onus of conveying the grievances to the rightful authority is on the state government. The state police are making the situation worst by using force. The Home Minister must understand that to resort to violent means at the drop of a hat is uncalled for on his part, it continued.
`Immediate promulgation of CrPc 144 won`™t solve the problem. The students are not agitating to disrupt the assembly session; they are agitating because their cause is being neglected by the government. The students will carry on the agitation beyond the assembly session now that the cat is out of the bag. So closing the classrooms in the past and immediate imposition of Crpc 144 are not the ideal solution.`
The KSO neither support nor oppose the movement, it is just concerned over the manner the situation is being handled, it said adding that KSO expresses its deepest condolence and shares the pain and grief to the bereaved family of late Sapam Robinhood Singh at this time of sorrow.
Meanwhile, the All Manipur Government Higher Secondary Lecturers`™ Welfare Association has also condemned the police action.
A statement of the association said it strongly condemns the killing of Sapam Robinhood and police action against girl students of TG Higher Secondary School.
It said the teachers association expressed heartfelt condolence to the incidents.