Samtei Rum [Press Release from students] The HRD department has betrayed us in the name of justice after our student movement was sabotaged by lathi-charge done by police force. Some of the media under extreme pressure from the government has not relayed our concerns in true value to the readers. In this scenario we have pledged to carry on with our agitation and we want to declare in front of the press fraternity of Siliguri for the better coverage of our problems which we believe would get National coverage through your platform. Our Agenda for the movement: 1.The student’s movement was not conducted by a few individuals. Thousands of students participated against injustice and thousands will continue to do so. But, in a dangerous conspiracy, the administration locked up thousands of students inside the college gates and lured a faction of students to ‘negotiate’ with the department, thus betraying all the other students who risked everything for their future. 2.An agreement is when two sides participate fully. How can we consider this an agreement which was dictated by the department at its own convenience and scripted on plain paper without any official seal? 3.One of our main demands was for the suspension of SP Manoj Tewari, DC East AK Singh and PI Sadar SR Shenga. But there is no mention in the ‘agreement’ of this demand of ours. For a mutually acceptable solution, the above three should have been suspended first and then the negotiations should have started. 4.The agreement also offers no protection to the students who have participated in this movement for justice. It does not state that there will be no persecution or victimization of any student or of the public who supported the student’s demand. This is blatantly unjust. Is there any guarantee that the state will not use photographic material later to identify and persecute legally and otherwise? Is there any guarantee that students will not be suspended or expelled from college for taking part in the movement? A proper agreement has to offer these guarantees. 5.The student’s did not launch this movement for recreational purpose. We were forced to take to the streets after the whole issue was mismanaged by the HRD department. They are fully responsible for the turn of events which saw so many students injured and for the subsequent events. We demand an unconditional apology from the HRD Minister. 6.We also demand that the Home Minister of the state accept his responsibility and apologize to the students for the brutal and unnecessary lathi-charge by the police. 7.We strongly state that thousands of students participated in this agitation and their voices must not be suppressed. We do not accept this agreement engineered between the government and a small fraction of students. A proper agreement must be done in the open in the presence of all the students and guardian who participated in the movement for justice. 8.We do not accept one man committee constituted by Sikkim government to enquire barbaric lathi-charge incident. Committee should constitute with a representative of Civil Society, representative of Guardian headed by Retired Judge with time bound policy. 9.We also demand that under provision of the protection provided by Article 371F of the constitution to Sikkim, all bonafide Sikkimese students must be given special reservation in Sikkim University. 10.The HRD Department should give in return that it will provide admission for the entire left-out student for this academic year. 11.Henceforth, the college and department should have no right to interfere in the college SRC election for the conduction of free and fare election. 12.It has also come to notice that the students who had signed the agreement with the HRD department were given the monetary offer including picnic which has come to press through the signatory students. Also it has come to notice and in press that one of the girl who inspite of being the ex student of the college was asked by the college principal to go with the college dignitary and she was among the one of the two students who signed the agreement. Hence, we demand the inquiry on the act of the principal and the department which is highly suspicious and misleading. 13.The HRD Department should give in written to construct the remaining necessary and vital college infrastructure of Rhenock, Namchi, Gyalshing and Gangtok government colleges in time bound period. We have put forward the aforementioned demands before the government in open words and we have given an ultimatum to department till 22 July 2014. If, the department shows any negligence or delay in any of our demand, we will go on protest again from 23 July 2014. We would like to appeal our fellow students, teachers, guardians, ex-students, adhoc-MR-regular employees, business communities, taxi driver’s association, government officers, all political parties, NGOs and all other concerned citizens to support our cause for the future of students of Sikkim. We also like to request to all Sikkim Police, IRB, SAP and home guards to join us as among many of us are your children, brothers and sisters whose future seems to fade into dark regarding the present policy of the Government. Our movement is and was never intended towards police personnel. Please come forward to join the movement which will define the brighter course of our students.
Posted on: Mon, 21 Jul 2014 13:30:55 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015