Manipur students allege racial abuse

VADODARA: A day after clashes erupted between student groups belonging to Rajasthan and Manipur at Manubhai Mehta Hall at M S University’s Halls of Residence, scores of students from Manipur urged MSU officials to end racial discrimination faced by them at the campus.
Within a span of a fortnight, the M M Hall has witnessed two clashes between student groups from Rajasthan and Manipur.

On Monday, a large number of students from Manipur including girls approached the university officials alleging that they are not only facing racial discrimination from students belonging to Rajasthan but also warden of M M Hall. The Manipuri students said they are unable to hang around freely on the streets or stay peacefully inside the hostels since the first clash on the intervening night of March 1 and March 2.

In their representation to MSU officials, the students said that the first quarrel started after Rajasthani students hurled racial abuses on them by calling them ‘chingki’ and ‘khansa’. The students alleged that the group from Rajasthan used hockey sticks, iron rods and threw empty liquor bottles on them, leaving many Manipuri students severely injured.

When the police reached the spot, they ran away from the hostel campus but the warden of M M Hall Sanjay Solanki shielded the Rajasthani students by providing them a place to hide at his own residence.

“On the next day, warden sealed all the rooms of Manipuri students in presence of Rajasthani students. Even the police was searching only Manipuri students while Rajasthani students were roaming around freely and threatening our juniors not to stay at the hostels,” said W Shyamananda Singh, a MSc student of Faculty of Science.

While Solanki had claimed that the clash on March 1 had started after some Rajasthani students were trying to calm down Manipuri students who were fighting amongst themselves, the clash had actually occurred between Rajasthani and Manipuri students, the students said.

“After we struck a compromise, the warden had given assurance to unlock the room but on the next day he started giving unreasonable excuses while he allowed Rajasthani students to stay in the hall,” the memorandum states.

The students also blamed the cops for being biased. “Even as only a couple of Manipuri students were involved in the clash, the police started raiding all the nine halls at the boys hostel and threatening every Manipuri student. This was done without any prior permission from hostel authorities,” said Singh.

“Those Manipuri students who have nothing to do with the clash are also being threatened and are being abused by the cops,” he said.

Demanding that MSU investigates the matter and takes action against the warden for racial discrimination, the students said that they are living in constant fear of being attacked by Rajasthani students.

“We are not being able to attend our classes in this crucial juncture while the final semester is in progress,” the students said in their representation.

It is worth mentioning here that there are nearly 100 boys and girls from Manipur staying in the Halls of Residence of MSU.

MSU forms probe committee

Vadodara: M S University has formed a nine member probe panel after repeated incidents of clashes at the hostel campus. The committee which includes proctor Hari Kataria, chief warden Vijay Parmar, university engineer N K Ojha, vigilance officer P P Kanani apart from syndicate members will not only probe facts of the cases but also submit a report on the lapses on the part of security and suggest measures and policies whereby such incidents are prevented at the hostel premises. The committee has been asked to submit its report within a fortnight.