Manipur: Human rights panel directs government to submit report on midnight raid at university
The state government has been given four weeks to submit its report.
The National Human Rights Commission has directed the Manipur government to submit within four weeks a report on the police’s midnight raid at the Manipur University on September 20, The Indian Express reported on Sunday. The panel issued the directive following a complaint lodged by human rights activist Henri Tiphagne.
The rights panel also warned the government it would invoke a “coercive process” against officials for personal appearance if the report is not submitted in time.
The police fired tear gas shells and carried out mock bomb attacks during the raid and arrested around 90 students and five faculty members, hours after Pro Vice Chancellor Y Yugindro Singh alleged that protesting students and faculty members had roughed him when he entered the campus to take charge as interim vice chancellor. Vice Chancellor AP Pandey, who is suspended pending completion of an inquiry against him, accompanied Singh. Fifteen teachers and students – accused of kidnapping and attempt to murder – are still in jail.
Meanwhile, three university bodies on Sunday condemned the alleged handcuffing of one of the jailed professors while being taken to a hospital, PTI reported. Professor Dorendrajit, who suffers from diabetes, was handcuffed while being taken to Regional Institute of Medical Sciences on October 11.
On Thursday, the Manipur High Court appointed former state chief secretary Jarnail Singh as the institution’s administrator and tasked him with bringing normalcy to the university. The court also said the appointments of Pro Vice Chancellor Y Yugindro Singh, and registrars Shyamkesho Singh and Dorendrajit Singh would remain suspended.
There have been intense protests at the university in the last few months. The university was shut between May 31 and August 23 after the students’ union, backed by the Manipur University Teachers’ Association, demanded the removal of Pandey, whom they accused of “administrative ineptitude” and saffronisation.