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Anti-Hindi campaign : CM cracks the whip |
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The Chief Minister also cracked the whip against the ban imposed on the teaching of Hindi and NCC training in the state by three students’ organisations. The state Government has warned the unions that had imposed such a ban that they would be treated as “anti-national” organisations.
Three influential students’ organisations - the All Manipur Students’ Union, the Democratic Students’ Alliance, Manipur, and the Manipuri Students’ Federation - had imposed a total and indefinite ban on Hindi teaching and NCC activities in the state. This step is part of their agitation against the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act.
The government’s warning came after the student groups ignored an appeal by Ibobi Singh to withdraw the ban.
“The call for a ban on learning and teaching of Hindi and joining the NCC is anti-national and illegal. It is also likely that as a result of this, students and youths of the state will forfeit their educational rights and job opportunities,” stated identical orders issued by the district magistrates of Imphal West and Bishenpur.
Appealing to all to ignore such calls, the orders warned of appropriate legal action against “any organisation or person engaging in such illegal and anti-national activities”.
An official source said the state government was contemplating legal action against those imposing the ban. The orders issued by the district magistrates indicated plans for a crackdown, he added.
Unofficial sources said the call had severely affected teaching of Hindi in many educational institutions in the state. Hindi is a compulsory subject from Classes III to VIII in all the government schools. There are also several institutions teaching Hindi, including a government Hindi teachers’ training school in Imphal.
Senior Citizens for Society, which includes prominent citizens as members, also appealed to all to ensure that classes were not hampered by the ongoing agitation. At a meeting held at the Hindi department of Manipur University, teachers and students appealed to the groups to withdraw the ban.
Comments also continue to come in over a recent statement by Army Chief General NC Vij alleging that Manorama Devi was a known underground outfit member and had not been raped. “He cannot be unaware that the Army is conducting its own court of inquiry, and with a judicial probe yet to complete its investigations any comment on this would be sub judice”, says an observer. Some other observers have also commented on similar lines on the Army Chief’s statement.
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