Leave missionary schools alone, Koijam appeals to militants

IMPHAL, March 24: The Chief Minister, Radhabinod Koijam has appealed to the underground outfits operating in Manipur not to intervene in the functioning of the missionary schools and hospitals in the interest of the general public, particularly the students community. Acknowledging the questions and suggestions made by the former Chief Minister and solitary Opposition member Rishang Keishing in Friday's question and answer session, the Chief Minister said that regular classes of almost all the missionary schools were going on smoothly except in Catholic school, Canchipur and Don Bosco, Langjing in Imphal West district. Highlighting the precautionary measures taken up by the State authority in connection with the repeated threats imposed by the different underground outfits to the missionary and Christianleaders on the ground of not giving funds to them, the Chief Minister said, regular partrolling and frisking by the security forces have been intensified in and around the Christian missionary-run schools. When asked about any steps to book any of the culprits, Radhabinod Koijam said that regular cases had been registered in connection with certain incidents and investigated into. Two extremists identified as Laishram Sunil and Moirangthem Shyam were killed by the police on May 18, 1999 at Khurai Rinsid road in Imphal East district after the shooting of Father VJ Sebastian headmaster of Don Bosco High School, Imphal. Recently, some unidentified armed gunmen tried to kill Father Tommy of Catholic school, Canchipur inside the school compound in the first week of February this year, but the Father luckily escaped. The Chief Minister, considering the suggestions by the MLA, Rishang Keishing, said that there was an apex body of the parents of the Christian missionary schools. However, it was dissolved in September last year following a threat from the underground outfits. The Opposition MLA, Rishang Keishing expressed his desire to strengthen the parents body to save the future of the young generation. Supporting the suggestion, the Chief Minister opined that closing of mission schools for not paying huge demands to the ultras would directly hit the academic atmosphere of the schools. Regarding the removal of 2,581 state government employees from their services, the Chief Minister said that his "Government is prepared to meet any eventualities".