Manipur: NEET aspirants demand lifting of internet ban in Imphal

Imphal: NEET aspirant students of Manipur staged a sit-in protest at Keishampat, Imphal on Friday, demanding the immediate lifting of the internet ban by the government and early justice for the killing of two students.

The protest was jointly organized by six powerful student bodies as a part of the protests against the Manipur government with regard to the killing of two teenage students by Kuki miscreants and excesses use of the security forces on protesters in the Imphal areas during the past few days.

"Stop abusive crackdown on unarmed students" and "Kuki terrorist root out" read the festoons at the protest site. The placards the protesters held read, "We want the freedom to protest against injustice," "No to mental harassment," and "implement NRC immediately."

On the sideline of the protest, a female student leader said that the suspension of the internet has caused anxiety for those students who are attempting to appear in the forthcoming NEET exams.

The state government has imposed a ban on internet operation till October 1 against the backdrop of the prevailing law and order situation.

The six students' bodies have demanded early justice for the students namely Phijam Hemanjint and Hijam Linthoingambi who were mercilessly murdered by the Kuki militants in the southern part of Manipur in July's first week.

In the security crackdown, over 200 student protesters sustained injuries, some of them seriously.

The students' bodies are All Manipur Students’ Union (AMSU), Manipuri Students’ Federation (MSF), Democratic Students’ Alliance of Manipur (DESAM), Kangleipak Students’ Association (KSA), Students’ Union of Kangleipak (SUK), Apunba Ireipakki Maheiroi Sinpanglup (AIMS).