Protesting Manipuri students claim brutality by Delhi cops

Hashokim Kamkara’s searing memory of the events of Tuesday night is being surrounded by six or seven policemen, and being kicked and punched on all sides. Yet, his humour hasn’t left him.

Sitting at the Nagaland House after being released from the Chanakya Puri police station, Hashokim remembers the swear words raining along with the blows. “This constable kept on punching me. He said, ‘Neta banne ka bada shaukh hai tumhe’. I crawled on my feet and begged the ASI to help me, he simply ambled away to let the constables beat me up further,” says Hashokim.

The Manipuri Tribals Forum Delhi along with several other tribal groups had gathered outside the Manipur House to register a protest against CM Okram Ibobi Singh and his delegate who were in Delhi to meet home minister Rajnath Singh to expedite the three anti-immigrants state bills for the Inner Line Permits. The students demanded that the CM and the counsellors come out. The broke one of the gates, and were first attacked by Manipur Rifles officers, and then by CRPF. In the ensuing fight, over 50 protestors and several policemen were injured. The police rounded several protestors and took them to the Chanakya Puri police station. Those who were injured were taken to Dyal Singh Hospital, or RML, or Safdarjung. “After the initial medical treatment, most of the protestors were taken into custody. They were released an hour ago,” says Th Vipuni, former president of the Poumei Students Union, Delhi. He was lucky to have escaped in time.

MFTD convenor Mavio wasn’t that lucky. He was one of the first few to have broken into the compound. “Stones were thrown at us the moment we got in, and we were soon roughed up by several policemen. The protestors, too, retaliated using bottles first, and then stones. Many ran to the Dhaula Kuan metro station,” says Mavio. “I saw many girls being hit, too. There are reports that some girls were molested, too.” Prominent BJP leader from Nagaland Linda Newmai, who spoke to Kiren Rijiju to help release the protestors from the jail, says such atrocities must be condemned.