Manipur MLAs not to resign

Legislators in Manipur, who had been asked by agitators to resign from the state Assembly by yesterday for of their "failure" to remove the Armed Forces Special Powers Act, have decided not resign from the House.

The Congress-led Secular Progressive Front held a meeting of its legislators here yesterday and discussed the issue in detail.

After discussing the issue, MLAs of ruling alliance decided not to resign from the House, sources said adding that if need arose, they would initiate talks with the agitators.

Sources in the Opposition political parties forum had also taken a similar decision in a joint meeting here yesterday. The 32 organisations spearheading the current stir for lifting the Act had earlier asked all the MLAs in the state to resign by yesterday since they had failed to remove the Act.

Official sources said para-military forces would be deployed at the houses of legislators in view of the prevailing situation. They said every step would be taken to protect the property of the legislators and the people.

Hundreds of people paid floral tributes to the photo of student leader Pebam Chitaranjan who self immolated on August 15 last to press for withdrawal of the Act on fifth day of his formal cremation on Wednesday.

Meanwhile, students, who had planned to hand over their textbooks to the chief minister and Governor SS Sidhu as part of the current agitation to press for removal of the Act, were foiled as all educational institutions in the state remained closed on Wednesday on government orders.

The state government in an order issued yesterday declared closure of all educational institutions after the plans of the students to deposit their books with the chief minister and the governor, official sources said.

Security measures were tight with para-military forces standing guard before the Raj Bhavan and the chief minister's bungalow.

The chief minister had yesterday appealed to the students to call of their proposed plan to hand over the books.

Three students organisations - the All-Manipur Students Union, the Manipur Students Federation and the Democratic Students Association of Manipur - had called the student stir, which was also against "brutal" police action on students during the agitation.

The students bodies also appealed to students and teachers to lay flowers for student leader Pebam Chitaranjan. The organisations also urged them to observe silence for two minutes at their respective institutions.