Imphal, June 20 2009: The Democratic Students' Alliance of Manipur (DESAM) has demanded 'white paper' from the government on the killing of Professor Islamuddin and urged to immediately release the five students who were detained under National Security Act (NSA) in connection with the killing.

In a statement the Publicity and Propaganda Secretary of DESAM, KC Ibomcha made clear the position statement of the students' body on the detention of some students under NSA while also pointing out the achievements of the students' body since its inception in 2002 .

DESAM has conducted survey in educational institutions and detected the ailments of the education system, the statement stated.

Remedial measures to address the defects have also been suggested with due consultation with experts, teachers and concerned individuals, and the fruits have already been enjoyed by the state, it added.

The students' body has also achieved in checking and eradicating the rampant practice of unfair means in examinations, it stated adding that the students' body has also made a speedy resurgence on the politicisation of education by MLA, Ministers, and authority that-be.

DESAM has also cracked the jamming of academic sessions that had been prevalent and rectified the system.

As a result, there has been no jam in academic session and no lost of academic year, it pointed out.

It has also caused the government and related officials, who had earlier victimised the teachers and hampered their works, the sense to mould the students, it observed.

It stated that the students' body has also regularly organised community meeting since 2003 to enable larger community participation in the education movement.

The students' body had also launched an intense movement in 2003 demanding to 'upsize' the education department instead of 'downsizing' against the standing order of the Central Government in 1999 and to follow the Expenditure Reformed Committee (ERC) recommendation, it recalled.

Since 2005, DESAM has also been instrumental in conducting awareness for students against the use of abusive drugs at several schools and colleges of the state, the statement asserted.

It has also launched the campaign to make education a free zone since 2007 while the students' body subsequently launched another campaign to maintain quality control in construction of educational institutions in 2008, it said.

Asserting that the students' body has tirelessly worked for the betterment of the education system, the statement claimed that it has also made concerted efforts for the development in the fields of sports, social welfare, and culture.

It further stated that from 2003-04 DESAM has also relentlessly strived to make qualitative and contemporary text books available to students adding that the students' body has also organised medical camps at several remote and cut-off places in the hill areas of the state.

The DESAM statement alleged that the mammoth rally that was taken out on July 5 last year to make education a free zone under the aegis of DESAM has been viewed by the government as a war against the government because they think that their henchmen would no longer be able to make filthy indulgence in the education department.

It added that the government has been trying to give unsavoury reputation to DESAM fearing that their wards who have studied outside would be deprived of higher posts and promotion if the education system of the state improved as spearheaded by DESAM.

The statement made clear that DESAM has never resorted to imposing bandh, blockade, general strike, and class boycott, during its over seven years of existence instead it has time and again made appeals to organisations, the people and students to desist from such form of agitations.

It alleges the government of encouraging the students' body to opt such forms of agitation.

Saying that the government is trying to depict DESAM as an organisation which stands against the public and which does anything they like but won't let anybody do anything like they do, the statement also detailed the instances thus: DESAM and AMSU are the two students' bodies which led others in condemning the killing of Prof Islamuddin, who is also the Proctor and former Dean of Students' Welfare of MU, by gunmen, it stated. However, the police had immediately made a swift move in arresting members of AMSU and DESAM.

Thirteen students including the Education Secretary of DESAM, Thoithoi and research scholars of MU were arrested in connection with the killing apart from launching a manhunt to arrest others, the statement pointed out.

It added that the incident has shocked the students' organisations as the students have no relation with the killing.

Two days after the killing, a jawan of IRB, involved in the killing, had surrendered to the police according to media reports, it stated.

A militant outfit had alleged that the killing was carried out by four IRB personnel who later escaped from a side of the University campus.

A day later, the KYKL claimed hands in the killing, it stated.

(To be continued) .

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