Students give time till Sunday for action against errant cops

Dichen Ongmu, EOI, gangtok, 17 July 2014: Students’ representatives of Sikkim Government College, Tadong today held a press conference at the Press Club of Sikkim to clarify what had transpired during Wednesday’s meeting with HRDD officials. They said the officials had sought 15 days’ time to conduct a probe into the lathicharge incident as one of the accused officers involved is an IPS cadre and the state government has no hand in dealing with the case. The students also said the HRDD had only verbally assured them of probing into the matter and said such an assurance is not acceptable at all. They want SP Manoj Tiwari and inspector SR Shenga suspended altogether and said they cannot wait for 15 days for a decision. The students have decided to wait till Sunday for a response from the state government failing which a fresh agitation will commence Monday onwards. It was also reported that the students’ representative who signed an understanding of mutual resolution with the HRDD was a former student, but she had no idea she was not authorised to act on behalf of the students’ representatives and the intensity of the occasion made her commit the error. Hence, the students said the government has not given them anything in writing about taking proper action over the incident even as they said they regretted the vandalism of government property, while insisting the act was not by students but by some members of the general public who grabbed the opportunity to disturb law and order. One of the demands of the students includes the inquiry committee formed to probe the incident should also include distinguished members of society apart from government officials. The students’ representatives included Bimal Neopane, Prajwal Parajuli, Denka Bhutia, Pema Bhutia and Poonam Karki, all students of the IInd and IIIrd years at the Sikkim Government College.

Meanwhile, 38 people have been arrested on various non-bailable charges in connection with Wednesday’s violence and they include some women and taxi drivers. It may be mentioned here that media persons were also threatened and even assaulted by the mob when they tried to cover the goings-on. PCS president Bhim Rawat condemned the attack on media personnel in strong words saying restraint is needed on the part of the public as the media fraternity is present to represent them and not to vilify them.

The students have appealed to all political parties against trying to politicise the incident asserting they are least interested in getting entangled in such matters as all they demand is justice.

It has also been learnt that nine MLAs of the SKM party staged a sit-in demonstration outside the HRDD premises Wednesday night till 10:30pm denouncing the lathicharge incident that was the direct fallout of the department’s ill-planned announcement of increasing college semester fees. Normal life was affected today in and around the capital with very few vehicles plying and all educational institutions closed for the second day, while the popular promenade of MG Marg remained completed shuttered in apprehension of disturbances recurring.