Source: The Sangai Express
Imphal, April 15:
The underground Revolutionary people�s Front has joined several other social organisations in condemning the act of vandalism perpetrated by script agitators in burning the State Central Library on April 13 evening.
In a statement issued to the press, assistant secretary of the RPF�s communication and publicity Lily leima said even though the demand for implementation of Meetei Mayek is genuine and an undeniable right the �mode of struggle� is very much contradictory to the cause of the movement.
Accepting the fact that prevailing situation might have constrained the agitators to target the Central Library, RPF said destruction of important document preserving history of Manipur can never be considered as legitimate.
The Library racks may be filled with literatures written in Bengali script but differences in script serves no ground to assume that the language and documentation has no relevance to the history of Manipuri society, observed the RPF.
Burning the Central Library burning is like the conduct of an adversary, it added.
AMUCO has also condemned the act in strongest terms and called the actions of the MEELAL activists as an act which was totally against the progress of human civilisation.
The indifferent attitude of the Govt is also the root cause of the present turmoil, it added.
Stating that the public will never accept such acts, it urged all the organisations participating in the ongoing agitation to refrain from committing such acts in future.
UCM has also appealed to the organisation concerned not to repeat such acts in future.
Even though the Library has been torched as a part of the ongoing agitation, UCM said that it cannot help calling the burning down of the Library as the "IInd Puya Meithaba".
AMSU while terming the incident as very unfortunate for the people of Manipur has strongly denounced the act.
It also stated that both the State Govt and MEELAL should be held responsible for the incident and further said that burning of text books by the mayek activists is nothing but a direct challenge to the students community.
Appealing to the MEELAL activists not to repeat such acts in future, AMSU said that it would openly support and extend all possible cooperation if any organisation come forward and launch a movement for implementing the Meetei Mayek in a peaceful manner.
It also urged the Govt to work out a solution and help end the ongoing agitation within the shortest possible time.
Janata Dal (Secular) Manipur and has also strongly condemned the burning down of the State Central Library and termed the act as irrational and barbaric.
It further stated that the destruction of the library has pushed the people of Manipur at least 1000 years backward.
Meanwhile, United People Front (UPF), United Friends' Library and Club, Kangleipak Loinasilon Apunba Lup, Manipur Janata Party, Communist Party of India (CPI), Students Federation of India (SFI), National Identity Protection Committee (NIPCO) and Sana Pokpa Chakpa Andro have also strongly denounced the torching of State Central Library by MEELAL activists.
Communist Party of India (CPI), Manipur State Council described the incident has one greatest stumbling blocks in the progress of the State.
Many valuable books gathered over a period of half a century have been reduced to ashes within hours and the loss could be never compensated, State party unit president B Sharma said in a statement.
He also flayed the Government for its lack of preparedness and alertness to the warning given by the agitating Mayek activists who resorted to violence in pursuance of their demand.
All India Students� Federation, (AISF), Manipur State Council denounced the act of burning down the library building housing many valuable and priceless books as an act of foolishness.
Setting ablaze the valuable records and books before they could be transcript them in Meetei Mayek is a great loss not only for the present generation but also the generations to come, said an AISF statement.
The Young Advance Learners� Library Association, Langthabal Mantrikhong has also strongly condemned incident and observed that the Meetei Mayek issue would be resolved sooner or latter but the loss incurred could be never compensated.
The Association would always support the cause for Meetei Mayek but object to taking recourse to activities which might result in loss of valuable public properties, said an Association statement while holding the Government responsible for the loss.