Eleven students were injured in lathicharge by police when they tried to storm Manipur Education Minister M Okendro Singh's office at the secretariat today to surrender their text books to press for implementation of inner line permit system(ILPS) in the state.
Police said a large number of students from eight higher secondary schools of Manipur's Imphal West and East districts in their uniforms and carrying their text books began gathering near the secretariat since morning.
The students were also demanding action against police personnel responsible for the killing of Sapam Robinhood, a standard twelve student, in firing during protests on July 8 for the implementation of ILPS.
They were barricaded by the police near the chief minister's residence but the students overpowered the forces and surged ahead. When they reached near Singh's chamber at the secretariat during noon, police reinforcements rushed to the spot and lathicharged them.
The 11 injured students were rushed to Regional Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS), where authorities said all of them were admitted and at least two of them were girls.
The condition of one of the injured girl students was serious, a RIMS official said.
Meanwhile, women protesters formed a three-km-long human chain at Uripok-Kangchup road in support of the demands. The human chain stretched from Bir Tikendrajit Flyover to Naoremthong here, police sources said.
Sit-in protests under the aegis of Joint Committee on Inner Line Permit System, which is spearheading the movement for implementation of ILPS in Manipur, were held in several places at Thoubal, Bishnupur, Imphal West and Imphal East district in the morning, the police added.
It was only yesterday that the curfew that was imposed in Greater Imphal area following the death of Robinhood was withdrawn completely. Restrictions under Section 144 CrPC are, however, still in force.
