Nursing students at the rally in Imphal on Saturday. Picture by Eastern Projections

Imphal, Sept. 27: Students of nine private institutes of nursing in Imphal West and Imphal East districts of Manipur took out a rally here today against militants’ threat to a private nursing school that has affected more than 300 students.

The students carried placards that read “No disturbance free education” and “Attack on students is an inhumanity,” among others. They were joined by the All Manipur Students Union (Amsu) and the Democratic Students Alliance of Manipur.

With their careers fraught with uncertainty, the students of nursing and those of the paramedical courses of Kangleipak Nursing and Paramedical Institute left their hostel after suspected cadres of the Kangleipak Communist Party (Wanglen Khuman) lobbed grenades on the campus twice this month.

A spokesman for the institute said the first grenade attack on September 19 was followed by another yesterday.

The boarders had a providential escape as the grenades did not explode.

The group has demanded Rs 10 lakh from the authorities of the institute.

The principal of the institute, Ksh. Sebapati Devi, said the two grenade attacks prompted 170 paramedical students and 15 students of nursing flee the hostel. The institute has been shut down.

The students’ fate now remains uncertain when an examination on paramedical course was being held. The practical that was to be held yesterday has been postponed indefinitely.

“The annual examination on nursing is scheduled for January and there are other projects the marks for which will be counted in the final examination. We fear that the threats could ruin the students’ career,” the principal said.

The rally of the nursing students started from Porompat and ended at the Lamlong market of Khurai near the nursing institute. A public meeting was held there.

“Armed groups should stop targeting educational institutes as the source of their funds. Educational institutes are note battlefields. So we demand an immediate end to all kinds of disturbances from all sections,” the education secretary of the Democratic Students Alliance of Manipur, Arambam Thoithoi said.

Supporting the demand, the human resource development secretary of Amsu, Moirangthem Surbala, said the bomb threat to the institute had ruined the careers of the students.

The speakers at the rally that included teachers made fervent appeals to all armed groups not to attack educational institutes and allow the students pursue their career.

Pushparani Devi, a student of nursing said because of the threats she could not pay attention to her studies.