IMPHAL, May 25 : A confrontation between students of Tamphasana Girl’s Higher Secondary School and police ensued today when the students were trying to stage a sit-in-protest at the school campus and stage a rally condemning the arrest of two student protesters by the police yesterday while attempting to storm the office of BJP Manipur Pradesh.
Police locked the main gate of the school to prevent the students from staging sit-in and rally today.
Students including teachers, non-teaching staff and a few media persons were trapped inside the school campus for more than two hours after girl students questioned when police personnel wandered in the school campus.
Girl students tried to barge through the main gate and other entrances which were forcefully blocked by the police using iron rods as clamps. Students raised slogans demanding opening of the gate and to allow them to stage a peaceful and non-violent protest.
A number of police barricades were placed before the school campus to prevent any untoward incidents. The entrance was later opened by police after school hour at around 3.15 pm.
Students were then allowed to go home under strict vigil by the police including women police personnel.
A student of TG Higher Secondary School Sanasam Preeti Devi while speaking to media persons at the office of JCILPS this evening highlighted the incident which occurred at the school where a large number of students were forced to stay inside the school campus after police forcefully locked the entrance gate.
She said that the students of TG Higher Secondary School were preparing to stage a democratic sit-in-protest demanding unconditional release of arrested students. Male police personnel used derogatory words while wandering in the school campus, she alleged. The statements of the police personnel sparked the anger of students which resulted in the tussle with police persons.
Such unruly attitudes of the law enforcing agencies will compel the student community to launch other forms of protest in the coming days, she warned.
Students of TG Higher Secondary School are ready to launch ‘court-arrest’ stir, she added.
Six students arrested
Following the incident at TG Higher Secondary School where students were stopped from staging a sit-in-protest within the school campus, six students of the school who courted arrest were formally arrested by police at Old Secretariat this evening around 6.
The arrested students are identified as P Maria Chanu d/o P Naobi Meitei (Class XII Science) of Kongba Kshetri Leikai, Imphal East, Sanasam Preity Devi d/o (L) S Santa Singh (XII Arts) of Lamboi Khongnangkhong, Imphal West, Thiyam Neha d/o Th Sobhachandra (XII Science) of Kwakeithel Akham Leikai, Imphal West, Tomthinganbi Toijam d/o Th Satyabarta Luwang (XII Arts) of Kongpal Khaidem Leikai, Imphal East, Thongam Debala Devi d/o Thongam Pahari (XII Arts) of Kongpal Kongkham Leikai, Imphal East and Chelsie Nongmeikapam d/o Rankit Nongmeikapam (XII Science) of Ningomthong Pebiya Pandit, Imphal East.
Meanwhile, protesters demanding the conversion of the three Bills passed in August last year into Acts burned effigies of Chief Minister O Ibobi, MPCC president TN Haokip and State BJP leader Th Chaoba today at Kwakeithel.
The pro-ILP demonstrators later staged a rally from Kwakeithel to Keishampat. They raised slogans like ‘implement ILP in Manipur,’ ‘We condemn arrest of students,’ etc.
Police dispersed the rallyists by firing rounds of tear gas shells at Hodam Leirak Mapa.
