Imphal, Aug. 17: The Democratic Students Alliance of Manipur (Desam) today announced its decision to pull out from the students' wing of the Joint Committee on Inner Line Permit System, which is spearheading the ILP campaign in the state.

It also launched a separate agitation in support of ILP.

Announcing this, alliance president Moirangthem Angamba said the decision was taken after members of the students' wing yesterday abducted two Desam volunteers from their office in Imphal city and severely assaulted them.

He said about 50-60 students' wing volunteers picked up the two from the alliance head office and released them after severely assaulting them late in the night. The students' wing volunteers had alleged that the two Desam volunteers were responsible for posting comments against them in social media.

He also said there were signs of disunity in the students' wing.

Angamba said his organisation would no longer participate in programmes under the joint committee on the ILP. Instead, it would launch a separate agitation with like-minded citizens' organisations, he added. To mark the launch of its agitation, named Re-consolidation campaign for implementation of ILP, volunteers of the student alliance staged a sit-in at the gate of their office at Keishampat in Imphal city today.

Angamba said the sit-in was to mark the launch of its re-consolidation campaign. A series of discussion programmes would be organised as a part of the campaign.

Angamba said Desam would organise a "people's convention" very soon to chalk out the line of action.

The students' wing, formed by several student organisations of the state, took an active role in the ongoing movement for the ILP or a similar legislation for protection of indigenous people of the state.

Sapam Robinhood, a Class XI student, died in crackdown by police on agitating students in support of the ILP in Imphal East on July 8. The relatives are yet to accept the body, which is lying at an Imphal mortuary. The development came as Okram Ibobi Singh is working overtime to finalise a draft bill prepared for protection of indigenous people. Ibobi Singh today presided an all-party meet to discuss the issue and the recently signed NSCN (I-M) peace accord.

As the meet was in progress people came out on the streets and blocked roads at various places in the four valley districts.

Thirteen ILP supporters are continuing with their indefinite hunger strike at three different places of Imphal.