Witoubou Newmai
The chain reaction set into motion by the current Manipur University impasse is rapidly snowballing into a complicated crisis. The initial single-minded focus on removing Prof AP Pandey, the varsity Vice Chancellor (VC), by a certain section of the students and teachers, has also now morphed into multiple issues.
This column is too small a space to recap the detailed sequence of unfolding events but some important developments are highlighted.
Initially, the issue started over the allegations hurled by Manipur University Student Union (MUSU) that “there are financial and administrative irregularities” in the University under the stewardship of the VC, Prof Pandey. Charges of taking “frequent leaves” were also levelled at him, besides many other allegations.
Based on these allegations, the MUSU started the campaign to oust Pandey since May 30, 2018. Later, the Manipur University Staff Association (MUSA) and the Manipur University Teacher Association (MUTA) also joined the agitation demanding the removal of the VC.
The impasse of the Manipur University took a new turn after a large number of police had conducted a “midnight raid” of some hostels in the university campus in the intervening night of September 20 and 21 after the Pro-Vice Chancellor of the university, K Yogindro Singh, lodged a complaint at a police station in Imphal alleging that the students of the university and its teaching staff had “manhandled” him. A number of students and teachers were arrested during the raid. Since then the students and teachers of the varsity are taking their protest to the streets demanding the release of the arrested persons.
On the other hand, the All Tribal Student Union, Manipur (ATSUM), the All Kuki Student Organisation-General Headquarters (KSO-GHQ) and the All Naga Student Association, Manipur (ANSAM) have been demanding the immediate resumption of classes in the university. The three hill based student bodies had stated recently that “the egregious turn of events that is witnessed in Manipur University with the concomitance of absurdly protracted agitation and the fresh eruption of violence orchestrated by the valley based student organisations, after an interval of a brief lull, has clearly demonstrated that Manipur University is not an institution for academic pursuit but an institution for all fly-by-nights and agitators”.
Based on these assertions by the hill student organizations, there were allegations that Pandey has the backing of the tribal student bodies, to which the former had strongly refuted.
As of now, the issue is also falling on the hill-valley lines as the hill based and the valley student organisations to maintain their respective positions.
It is over four months now that the normal activities of the university have been crippled. In the best interest of the student community, the enquiry committee should be allowed to carry out investigations into the allegations hurled against the VC, and concurrently the classes should resume without further delay.
The Ministry of Human Resource Development should invest its best to ensure that the chain reaction is plugged at the earliest and such trends do not take place in any other platform of learning.
