Two executive members of the Manipur Students’ Association Delhi (MSAD) arrested by police some time ago from New Delhi were brought to Imphal on Thursday.
A team of Manipur police brought arrested MSAD general secretary Thokchom Singhajit and secretary Kennedy Moirangthem to Imphal after taking transit remand from Patiala Court, Delhi. They were arrested by a team of Imphal West district police in connection with a statement by MSAD strongly condemning the Manipur government for allegedly trying to impose Sanskrit as a subject in schools and colleges in Manipur.
Manipur Education minister S Rajen Singh, on November 20 last, announced that the Sanskrit language will be introduced as a subject in schools and colleges in the state. The announcement attracted criticisms from various circles including MSAD. The student body had stated earlier that the proposal reflected the “dominant attitude of the RSS-oriented government of Manipur”.
Following the statement, state police lodged an FIR against the MSAD executives under Section 163A, 504, 505(2) and 34 Indian Penal Code and arrested the two executives last Monday, around 7 pm. On Tuesday, they were produced at the Patiala High Court in the national capital and since then, they were in the custody of Maurice Nagar Police Station, reports said.
On their arrival from New Delhi at Imphal Airport, some student activists who were at the airport, waiting for the arrival of the arrested student leaders, displayed banners supporting the MSAD in their stand. “Stand with the activists of MSAD,” one of the banners read.
The arrested MSAD general secretary who got a brief chance to interact with reporters said that they were arrested in connection with the statement MSAD had issued to the media opposing the introduction of the Sanskrit language to the schools and colleges in the state.
NNN