Newmai News Network Imphal | July 31 A sit-in protest was held today at Manipur University gate supporting the ongoing agitation of Manipur University Teachers Association (MUTA), Manipur University Students Union (MUSU) and Manipur University Staffs Association (MUSA). Earlier, Local Surrounding People of the Manipur University Canchipur (LSPOMUC) held a solidarity rally from Kakwa to Manipur University gate for the removal of Vice Chancellor of the Manipur University, AP Pandey. On the sixty-third day of the agitation, besides the widespread protests across the state, the 'relay hunger strike' at the Manipur University gate was joined by a large contingent headed by two ex-ministers, O Joy Singh and N Mangi Singh, the joint statement said. According to the statement, it said, "the Manipur University community understands that the state and Central governments have adopted a policy of putting to the back burner the core issues of the land and people of Manipur", adding, "As increasingly evident, this approach has only aggravated the problems adding more fuel to the anger of the people". According to the statement, this is the reason "why a general strike has been called by the civil society organizations of Manipur on the first two days of August, 2018". It added that the "Manipur University community shares the concerns of the civil society organizations and extend full support to the general strike. On these two days, the 'relay hunger strike' at the Manipur University gate would be suspended as a mark of solidarity to the general strike. Further, the statement said that the "university community" puts in clear terms that the "degraded" attempts by Professor AP Pandey to "suppress and derail" the consistent and concerted agitation would never bear fruit.
