Both the teachers were among representatives of the Ad hoc Committee of the constituent colleges of the Dhanamanjuri University which had met chief minister N Biren Singh on Monday. The committee’s agitation was temporarily suspended after assurance from the chief minister.
TFM Report
Students of Dhanamanjuri College of Arts and Post Graduate (PG) students of Dhanamanjuri University on Wednesday decided to shut down the university and DM College of Arts until the authority stayed the transfer order of two assistant professors of the college.
According to orders issued by commissioner (Hr & Tech Edn) M Harekrishna, who is also vice-chancellor in-charge of the DMU, English associate professor B Shantikumar Sharma was transferred to Kha Manipur College, Kakching while Political Science assistant professor A Noni, an “utilized teacher” in DM College of Arts, was repatriated to his previous institute the Moirang College.
At around 1:00 pm on Wednesday, the students locked the office of the principal of DM College of Arts protesting the transfer orders. Later they protested by surrendering their bags and sat in front of the college gate. They also shouted slogans against the orders.
Speaking to media persons, DM College of Arts Students’ Union debate and extension secretary Suraj Takhelmayum questioned the timing of the transfer and added that the students condemned the transfer orders while there were already shortages of teachers in the college. He also demanded the government to stay the transfer order.
DM College of Arts Students’ Union social and culture secretary Y Papendra said that due to COVID-19 classes could not be conducted for a long time. And when a possibility of resumption of classes was arrived at after the government and the teachers held talks, the transfer of these teachers is unacceptable, he added.
Maintaining that the two teachers have been working hard for the betterment of the college, he further said that even though new teachers have to be transferred to the college, they should stay.
Later in the evening at around 4:30 pm, the students tried to lock the gate of the college, but it was foiled by police personnel present inside the college campus. Three students were forcefully picked up by the Imphal West police to have a “talk”. They were released later.
It may be mentioned that both the teachers were among representatives of the Ad hoc Committee of the constituent colleges of the Dhanamanjuri University which had met chief minister N Biren Singh on Monday. Their agitation was temporarily suspended after assurance from the CM.
The Ad hoc committee had been observing a series of agitations by abstaining from online and offline classes of both UG and PG classes and staging sit-in protests against the failure of the concerned authority to fulfill their demands.
The teachers of the constituent colleges had been urging the DMU authority to settle the case of the absorption of the existing teachers of the constituent colleges before any process for fresh recruitment.