Assam: Fast-unto-death by Bishnupriya Manipuris; two hospitalized

A Correspondent

SILCHAR: The stalemate over the fast-unto-death launched by the Nikhil Bishnupriya Manipuri Mahasabha took a serious turn on Wednesday, the seventh day, as two agitators were hospitalised and the condition of the four others is deteriorating fast. The Bishnupriya Manipuri Sainik Welfare Organisation also joined the protest.

Earlier, the Mahasabha had rejected an emissary sent by Minister Kaushik Rai, who had assured them of arranging a meeting with the Chief Minister. They demand nothing short of an assurance from the CM to call off the agitation.

Meanwhile, the health condition of two agitators, Anjana Sharma and Biju Sinha, deteriorated, and they were shifted to Silchar Civil Hospital. The development heightened tension in what had otherwise been a peaceful agitation over the past seven days.

Against this backdrop, members of the Bishnupriya Manipuri Sainik Welfare Organization marched from the Khudiram statue—the site of the ongoing protest—to the office of the District Commissioner in support of the agitation. In a strongly worded letter addressed to Chief Minister Dr Himanta Biswa Sarma, the organisation expressed deep resentment, stating that neither any government official, minister, nor MLA had visited the protest site to hear their demands. They also alleged that by showing a lack of sympathy and initiative to resolve the grievances of the agitators, the Chief Minister has shown his ‘disrespect towards the entire Bishnupriya Manipuri community’.

The agitators warned that the government’s indifferent attitude to the demands of the NBMM could have a significant impact on the forthcoming Assembly elections.

NBMM leader Gopidas Sinha, in a separate letter to the District Commissioner, reiterated their key demands. These include a Cabinet decision granting Medium of Instruction status to the Bishnupriya Manipuri language and the creation of 300 posts for Bishnupriya Manipuri language teachers. The Barak Development Front on Wednesday joined the demonstrations to express solidarity with the Bishnupriya Manipuri agitators.

A reporter from Guwahati adds: Following an order from the Gauhati High Court, the issue of putting an end to the stalemate regarding the publication of Bishnupriya Manipuri textbooks through the formation of a committee lies with the Directorate of Elementary Education and State Council of Educational Research and Training. The Bishnupriya Manipuri language will automatically be the medium of instruction at the primary level as and when the government implements teaching and learning in Bishnupriya Manipuri at the primary classes in accordance with NEP 2020. The Department of Elementary Education has already sent a letter to the Directorate of Elementary Education in this regard. Thus, the first of the four demands concerning Bishnupriya Manipuri as a medium of instruction is well within the reach of the government.

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