Student negotiators assaulted on return with agreement

GROUP FILES FIR AT TADONG OUTPOST, SEEK POLICE PROTECTION
GANGTOK, 16 July: An FIR was filed by a group of college students at the Tadong Police Out Post, while also seeking police security, after some of them were beaten up by some “unknown” persons who were their “supporters” till earlier in the day through the three days of the protest.
A section of the delegation of 30 students which arrived at an agreement with the State government this afternoon, were beaten up by, as per their FIR, unknown persons, who turned hostile when they reached the Sikkim Government College here with news of the agreement drawn up the government.
The students say that as soon as they reached the college gate and started explaining the negotiations held with the State Government, some unknown persons attacked them using foul language and accusing them of having sold out the protest.
“We were talking to some of our friends when the same people who were earlier supporting us turned violent and started beating us while using abusive language. Even our college faculty who were with us including our principal had to run into the college campus to save themselves. These people came into the college and even beat us there, even girls were not spared, we ran and hid in the teachers quarters who shut the gates and we remained silent and with the lights turned off till we heard that some people had come to rescue us,” stated a student who was part of the protesting group and the negotiation team.
The students maintain that throughout they did not want the issue to go out of hand and did not want any politics to affect their cause.
“Many people came and showed their support, we had not called anyone and had told them to stay away from our cause but at the last moment some of the people in the same group who were earlier supporting us, questioned our decision and started manhandling us,” state the students.    
Of the 30, seventeen students were caught in the college violence and had taken refuge in the campus traumatized by the violence visited on them. Later in the evening, a group of well wishers from Tadong went into the campus, arranged police security and escorted them out.
The FIR filed, transport and security was arranged for the students and medical attention provided to the some who were injured in the incident.
“We have lost important documents and also the file that contained the agreement with the administration when we ran for our lives,” said a girl student who was part of the delegation. It may be recalled that a section of the students have also rejected the agreement and announced plans to meet and discuss the agreement in detail on Thursday morning and then deciding what to do next.