PROTEST, LATHICHARGE, CLASH, LATHICHARGE AGAIN

New session begins tense for college students
SAGAR CHHETRI
GANGTOK, 14 July: It took two lathicharges, several bruised egos & bodies and a nearly three-hour long confrontation to break the deadlock which had set in at Tadong this evening after a group of adamant college students clashed with an over-eager Sikkim Police force. Better diplomacy might have rescued the situation from collapsing into the disturbing anarchy that was on display on the highway, because irrespective of which way on looks at it, everyone who was on the spot came away convinced that had the police deployed more tact the day would not have ended in violence.
But that was not be as the protesting students marched down to Sikkim Government College, Tadong, after an inconclusive meeting with HRDD officials. Their numbers had dwindled substantially from the group that had marched up earlier in the morning. The students were however raising slogans through their rally back to college and when they reached the gates, the sat on the road in protest and held up traffic.
Police personnel on duty at the spot were trying to talk the students into entering their campus and allowing traffic to ply on the national highway. The students remained adamant on continuing with their protest and the confrontation got stuck in its first deadlock.
However, soon after the SP [East] Manoj Tewari arrived at the spot, the police launched a lathicharge to drive the students away. The students dispersed initially, but fought back in strength with stones and bricks and forced the cops to retreat. This was at around 5:15 p.m.
The situation had no collapsed into a free for all as the students lobbed projectile at the cops and pulled railings and signboards on to the road blocking it.
The cops pulled back and the students had a free run of the stretch from Tadong Police Outpost to the College Gate. Both, students as well as police personnel, including reportedly the SP, were injured.
It was now a stare-down. Traffic was stalled. While most people walked across the trouble zone, the worst affected were students returning from school who were stuck on either side of the area.
Soon, the DC AK Singh and other district officials and even the area MLA Timothy Basnet and Arithang MLA Shyam Pradhan also arrived at the spot and tried to mediate with the students. They, however, were refusing to listen to anyone and were demanding action against the SP before calling off their blockade. Like is seen so often in Sikkim, the issue had moved on into another tangent and become even more vexed.
The next collapse occurred just as it started getting dark and the sequence of events here is slightly confused.
What is clear is that a bus speeding up from Ranipool with IRBn personnel to the ‘venue’ was stoned by the students. The stoning was severe and all window panes smashed.
Soon, the second lathicharge of the evening was underway, and this time the police were offering no quarters. The cops dispersed the students and chased them into alleys and buildings. Some stones still flew into the road from behind buildings.
After the students dispersed, the police and district officials were picketed by lay people who challenged the police decision to lathicharge students and alleged that the SP had been over-aggressive. They were demanding action. DIG [Range], Dr. MS Tuli, managed to calm down the people who were protesting against the police action, and soon the situation was normalized and the highway finally cleared for traffic.
Later, speaking to media-persons, the DIG said that a case will be filed at Sadar Thana and investigation will follow. He had arrived at the spot after the lathicharge, but, as he assured the guardians earlier, he informed the press briefing that an independent enquiry will be carried out on the allegations being leveled by the students as well.
The East District Magistrate AK Singh also informed that a Magisterial probe will be ordered into the allegations of students.
Meanwhile, sources at STNM Hospital and at CRH informed that 13 students were brought in with minor injuries as was one IRBn jawan.