Manipur: Grenade Scare at Imphal College Sparks Protests Amid Rising Extortion

IMPHAL: A grenade was found on Monday at the main entrance of GP Women’s College in Imphal, which is located in a high-security area near the state’s key government buildings, including the Raj Bhavan, the chief minister’s residence, the police headquarters, and the state secretariat.

The grenade had accompanying notes criticizing the education system and demanding free education rights for students. A passerby picked it up at around 6 a.m., and the police reached the area to cover it.

The police, noticing the safety lever of the grenade was disengaged, contacted the bomb squad which diffused it in an open area at Langol Game Village after taking all necessary precautions.

Police have launched an inquiry into the reason for the bomb threat. They also searched around the entire college to clear the zone there.

Meanwhile, students of GP Women's College took to the street outside the campus protesting against the bomb threat targeting schools and colleges in Imphal and other surrounding areas. They aired their anger and concern over the incident and questioned whether security was properly in place in this high-security zone.

A protesting student asked how someone could put a grenade in such a highly secured area. She feared that other learning institutions may be affected since even their college, in a high-security zone, was not left out. She emphasized that the government authorities should take this issue seriously and see to it that the culprits are brought to book.

Another student advised that grievances the students had against the college should be made through proper channels and that there was no need to frighten the students as a whole. The student believed that the grievances could be addressed with the higher authorities rather than threatening to scare the students with the bomb threat. She would say that a bomb threat would create a stir in otherwise typical academic life. Bomb threats followed recent extortion threats targeted at education institutions in Imphal and other valley districts.

Recently, students and teachers from different schools and colleges have been protesting against the exorbitant financial demands made on them by armed groups. Extortion activities have increased manifold since the onset of the protracted ethnic crisis in the state, not only in educational institutions but also in government employees, business owners, and individuals facing threats for not meeting the high financial demands of armed groups.

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