IMPHAL: A sit-in protest condemning the assaults on eight student leaders at gunpoint was staged in front of the United People’s Front head office in Imphal on Monday.
Nongthonbam Rupachandra, UPF president said following the promulgation of Section 144 CrPC in and around the office of the Students’ Organizations at Dhanamanjuri College, Imphal, a number of student leaders are doing their duties inside the rooms of the UPF, headquarters for the past many days.
They are assisting in various sectors for the welfare of society, especially the students’ community across the state.
However, on Sunday at around 9 pm, some well-armed unidentified youths forced their entry into the UPF Office and beat eight number of student leaders black and blue.
The president condemned the acts of the armed men as cowardly and appealed to those involved not to repeat unnecessary crimes in the future.
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Stating that it is better to have held a meeting for finding an amicable solution whatever there may be differences, the president further appealed to the concerned authorities to investigate the incident for finding the details thereof.
The president also called for peaceful co-existence among the people especially the student communities for development at all costs.
On the sidelines of the protest, N Chaobi Devi expressed her unhappiness over the incident and said that the government law enforcement agency personnel must find out justice to this effect and the armed men also should make a clarification to this effect as soon as possible.
The protest was organized by the UPF under the joint aegis of the various women organizations from different places of the state including NIPCO, CADA, MAPI COUNCIL, AMPFA, AMKIL, NUPI SAMAJ, TAMI-CHINGMI, EECHAL, THOUBAL, IMA, UPACO, NIMPAL, NLANI, ANUL.
So far no underground organization claims responsibility for the harsh actions.