Imphal, August 31 2010: One of two underground activists, who came to a school and threatened teachers to pay money demanded by an outfit, said to be KCP-Noyon group were caught by the students and handed over to the police.

The incident occurred yesterday at Johnstone Higher Secondary School located in the heart of Imphal but came to light on Tuesday only when the students staged a sit-in protest in front of their school premises.

They decried the act of the militants disturbing the academic atmosphere of the school.

Students said that the two militants came to the school yesterday, at about 10.30 am, and threatened the teachers to pay Rs 2000 each.

When the women teachers raised on objection, a hot exchange of words ensued wherein the militants used indecent language.

When a male teacher intervened to end the altercation and settle the matter in a calm manner advising the extortionists not to use indecent language to the teachers before the students, one of the took out a small arm pointing it to the male teacher, a student who preferred not to revealed said.

Other students already alarmed by the hot exchange of words rushed to place near the teachers' common room where the altercation took place.

The extortionit with the gun made good to his escape but the other was overtook by the students.

They called the police and handed him over, he added.

A police source identified the extortionist as RK Bobby of Kwakeithel, Imphal and was an activist of the Kangleipak Communist Party (KCP)- Noyon faction.

He was produced before the court today and was remanded to police custody for further investigation.

Disgruntled students of the school staged a sit-in protest in front of their school premises with the slogan "Make education a free zone" and asking militants not to repeat the incident in future.

"We are not the first victim of such excessive acts of militants extorting money from the teachers," a representative of the Student Union of the school said lamenting that the act of the militants towards the teachers in front of their students was highly condemnable.

While strongly condemning incident, a teacher of the school asserted that such an act of the militants will not only disturbs the peaceful conduct of classes but also hurt the morale of the students who are the pillars of the nation.

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