Correspondent
Tension erupted in Imphal on Thursday as a group of students threw eggs at the office of the Board of Secondary Education Manipur (BOSEM) before clashing briefly with police who stopped them from storming the premises. The protest was organised under the banner of the Democratic Students’ Alliance of Manipur (DESAM), which has been alleging a major scam in the procurement of paper for textbooks and examination answer scripts.
According to DESAM, BOSEM approved the supply of 160 metric tonnes of substandard paper without official watermarks for printing textbooks up to Class 8 and HSLC examination answer sheets. The student body accused officials of colluding with printing firms to allow the use of poor-quality materials, thereby compromising the future of students.
Over the past weeks, DESAM has staged multiple forms of protest targeting the BOSEM office, demanding that firms supplying low-quality paper be blacklisted and that a high-level inquiry be constituted to investigate the alleged scam. On Thursday, hundreds of students from different schools and colleges converged at the BOSEM office, chanting slogans against the authorities and throwing eggs at the building. Police intervened as protesters attempted to storm the office complex, leading to a brief clash. No injuries were reported, and the police eventually dispersed the crowd.
Speaking on the sidelines of the protest, DESAM leaders expressed frustration over the government’s silence despite repeated appeals. They said a memorandum had even been submitted to the Governor, but no action had followed. “The silence the government maintained indicates negligence or complicity,” one leader remarked, warning that the agitation would intensify if quality textbooks were not provided within a stipulated time. DESAM president M. Somorjit reiterated that the student body would continue its agitation until concrete action was taken. “The future of students cannot be compromised due to administrative negligence and corruption,” he said, demanding that the government set up a high-level inquiry committee and make its findings public.