Police b four fasting students

FROM OUR SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT

IMPHAL Aug16: Police men in the civvies maged to sneak into the pitched tent in front of And Singh higher secondary Academy in Imphal at 1am on Sunday and whisked away four of the fasting students including the girl Vijayalaxmi. However the fifth student, Mukah Thoudam, maged to jump down from the police van and rushed to continue his fasting. Dozens of women vigilantes who are there rescued her though police drove away with the four students.

A woman activist, Nganbi told waiting reporters that it was very shameful that the police who seem to be given a free hand dragged out

the very eweak student and threw them inside the van. As they have been on fast since Friday they could hardly stand up. Police could

have handled them tenderly, she said.

The fifth student is continuing the fast while other women vigilantes are near him. On the other hand, life was affected from Sunday morning as the people staged protest everywhere. They burned tyres, log and strewn boulders along all roads to block traffic.

On Satruday night there were torchlight processions in all sides.

Police had to fire tear gas shells and fire mock bombs to disperse the processionists. There were face offs. Several women and youths were wounded.

There is no response from the agitationists to the chief minister’s offer to hold talks in the inner line permit.