Imphal, July 19 2017: Demanding Constitutional protection of indigenous people and restriction on non-locals contesting in elections in the State, a large number of students under the aegis of Kangleipak Students’ Association (KSA) stormed Raj Bhavan today.
The agitating students who were from various schools and colleges staged a sit-in-protest at Keishampat Leimajam Leikai community hall and then marched towards Raj Bhavan .
A group of students coming from TG Higher Secondary School side also joined them .
They were stopped by CRPF personnel manning the Governor’s bungalow .
Shortly, a team of State police led by SP Imphal West Themthing Ngasangva arrived and tried to pacify the students who raised slogans for about half an hour causing traffic congestion at the area .
Speaking to newspersons, KSA president Moirangthem Luxman said that Constitutional protection for indigenous people is a must to safeguard them from the rampant influx of non-locals into the State which has suffered from a deep demographic imbalance .
He pointed out that the number of non-locals in Wangkhei, Kangpokpi, Jiribam, Thangmeiband, Sagolband, Sugnu, Bishnupur and Uripok Assembly Constituencies has increased manifold .
Referring to the elevation of a non-local as the MLA of Jiribam AC in the last Assembly election, he said that it is high time to bar non-locals from contesting in elections in order to tackle the problem of demographic imbalance in the State .
A representative of KSA headed by its president were allowed to meet the Governor and submit a memorandum .
After returning from the Governor’s bungalow, the student protestors continued the sit-in-protest demonstration at the same venue .
The memorandum urged the Governor to constitute a body to investigate the electoral rolls and land records in the eight Assembly Constituencies .
It also urged to set up a population commission as per International standard to check influx of non-locals .
In the memorandum, the Governor was further urged to form a Fact Finding Committee to identify illegal migrants included in the electoral rolls and announce the eight Assembly Constituencies as reserved seats for indigenous people until the committee submits its report.
Those illegal migrants who were found enrolled in the electoral rolls against Citizenship Act, 1955 should be deported, the memorandum demanded.
Source: The Sangai Express
