Cabinet decides to rope in CBI MU teachers bay for VC’s head, hostelers leave rooms

IMPHAL, May 27: A special Cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister O Ibobi Singh today decided to rope in the service of Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to investigate the assassination of Proctor of Manipur University Prof Md Islamuddin inside the university campus.The proscribed outfit KYKL has claimed responsibility for the killing.Disclosing this to The Sangai Express, a Cabinet Minister informed that the special Cabinet meeting held today afternoon also decided to set up a police picket inside MU campus temporarily in view of the situation prevailing there.In addition to the ex-gratia amount of Rs 10 lakhs to be given from the side of the Government of India, it was also decided that the State Government would be providing another Rs 10 lakhs to the bereaved family members of Prof Islamuddin, the Cabinet Minister disclosed.Today’s special Cabinet meeting also decided that a family member of Prof Islamuddin would be appointed to the post of Grade ‘A’ in the University, the Cabinet Minister added.Meanwhile, in a statement, Senior SP of Imphal West District L Kailun informed that SDPO Imphal West S Ibomcha Singh is investigating the case of the murder of Prof Islamuddin of Manipur University, Economics Department on May 25.So far 13 persons have been arrested in connection with the case and they are under active interrogation after being taken into police custody, the SSP said, adding that he himself is directly supervising the investigation and it is making progress.On the other hand giving vent to their anger and frustration over the assassination of Professor Md Islamuddin inside the campus of Manipur University of May 25, the teachers of the varsity has demanded the resignation of Vice Chancellor C Amuba Singh for ostensibly failing to provide adequate security to the teaching faculty.

59 ministers, including 14 cabinet ministers, to take oath Thursday

NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh expands his council of ministers Thursday, adding 14 cabinet ministers, including three former chief
ministers and three DMK leaders, and 45 ministers of state. Of the ministers of state, seven will have independent charge. The cabinet ministers include Virbhadra Singh, former Himachal Pradesh chief minister, Vilasrao Deshmukh, former Maharashtra chief minister, and Farooq Abdullah, former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister. The others are Dayanidhi Maran, M K Azhagari and A. Raja of the DMK. From the Congress, the ministers will be Mallikarjun Kharge, Kumari Selja, Subodh Kant Sahay, M S Gill, G K Vasan, Pawan Kumar Bansal, Mukul Wasnik and Kantilal Bhuria. The ministers with independent charge are Praful Patel of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and the Congress' Prithviraj Chavan, Sriprakash Jaiswal, Salman Khurshid, Jairam Ramesh, Krishna Tirath and Dinsha Patel.

Bandh throws normal life out of gear

IMPHAL, May 26: Normal life in Manipur remained seriously affected today following the 24-hour bandh as well as the 12-hour general strike called respectively by Pangal Students’ Organisation (PSO) and Manipur University Students’ Union (MUSU) in protest against the killing of Proctor of Manipur University Prof Md Islamuddin.Stray incidents of violence in which at least one person was injured while scores of vehicles damaged have also been received from different parts of the State.Since early morning, a large number of people came out to enforce the bandh along National Highway 39 in between Mantripukhri and Lei-Ingkhol along with erecting road barricades and scattering of broken glass pieces to prevent movement of vehicles.Armed with sticks and slings, they also prevented any person from venturing out while the windscreens of vehicles plying in defiance of the bandh were smashed.At Minuthong Hatta, bandh supporters burnt tyres and erecting road blockade with bamboos and woods to enforce the bandh. They were also armed with sticks and slings to attack any person or vehicle plying in defiance of the bandh.At Top Khongnangkhong where barricade was erected near the bridge, suspected bandh supporters damaged an autorickshaw. They also shouted slogans decrying killing of innocent people.At Lilong, where the bandh was total, suspected bandh supports set on fir a tourist bus (MN01-1242) in the afternoon.

Deposited fund at TP Cell Vanishes

IMPHAL, May 26 : Just a day after the State Cabinet decided to abolish the Technical and Professional Cell (TP Cell) during the meeting chaired by Chief Minister O Ibobi Singh on April 29 last, the fund deposited by various Departments in the account of the TP Cell have vanished even as suspicions have been raised on diversion of around Rs 2 crores illegally.According to a reliable source, following the State Cabinet decision to abolish the TP cell and to set up a Committee with the Chief Secretary as chairman to look into the work process and fund deposited by various Departments in the account of the TP cell, the Finance Department had also issued an order in this regard.However, on May 2 when the Chief Secretary who is the Committee chairman deputed an Additional Secretary of the Finance Department to the Registrar Co-operative in connection with freezing the account of the TP cell it was learnt that the account was nil and there was no fund in it.

KYKL claims hand in eliminating Prof Islamuddin

The proscribed KYKL has claimed responsibility for killing former Dean of Students’ Welfare, MU, Prof Islamuddin inside MU campus yesterday.A press release issued by the outfit publicity and research secretary Lan-ngamba Mangang said that Prof Islamuddin was given death penalty for his alleged unpardonable faults.It was Prof Islamuddin’s grievous faults that tarnished the image of Manipur University besides creating divisions among students, alleged the outfit. The main culprit behind the serious disturbance caused to the academic atmosphere of Manipur University was Islamuddin, it asserted.His faults and errors need not be mentioned again. All his malpractices and faults can be established by looking into the issue surrounding the last MUSU election, Lanngamba said.Making the issue complex and confusing, which at first was simple and could have been easily rectified, and telling lies to hoodwink people and to absolve him-self from his wrong doings was the ploy of Prof Isla-muddin, the outfit asserted.Saying that a clique of some corrupt, selfish teachers and students have been operating within Manipur University, the outfit alleged that the primary objective of this clique is to make MU their private fiefdom.

Cyclone Aila hits WB, over 20 killed

Kolkata, May 25; Cyclone Aila made a landfall in West Bengal today, killing over 20 people, affecting over a lakh and leaving behind a trail of destruction before gradually weakening."The cyclone, now lying stationery 50 km west of Kolkata, hit the West Bengal coast at 1.30 pm near Sagar Island. It is moving in a northerly direction and will weaken gradually," Regional Meteorological Centre Director GC Debnath told PTI tonight."Rains, however, will continue throughout tomorrow," he said.A severe storm with a wind speed of 110 kmph accompanied by heavy rainfall preceded the cyclone that had formed in the Bay of Bengal from a very deep depression last night.It ripped through Kolkata, North and South 24 Parganas, Howrah, Hooghly, Burdwan and East Midnapore districts at 110 kmph, killing at least 19 people and affected a population of 1.10 lakh, Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee and Finance Minister Ashim Dasgupta told newsmen here. Unofficial reports, however, put the toll at 26 and the number of affected at over two lakh. The Chief Minister said that the cyclone's tail was now in neighbouring How-rah district and had spared Kolkata.Dasgupta said the army was moving into Sandesh-khali and Hingalganj in North 24 Parganas and Gosaba, Patharpratima and Sagardwip areas in South 24 Parganas districts.The BSF would rescue people marooned by heavy rains at Sandeshkhali tomorrow morning.Railway Minister Mama-ta Banerjee would visit Kakdwip in South Parganas district tomorrow.

Former Dean Prof Islamuddin assassinated inside MU campus

IMPHAL, May 25 : Unidentified gunmen shot dead Proctor of Manipur University Prof Md Islamuddin inside the campus of the University at around noon today.To protest the killing which has sent has shock waves across the State, Pangal Students’ Organi-sation (PSO), Manipur has called a 24-hour State wide bandh with effect from midnight today.Information culled from the site of the crime said that three persons on two Kinetic Honda scooters were seen coming from the side of boys’s hotel. The Kinetic Honda in front was driven by only one person while the other two persons were on the second Kinetic Honda following close behind.A student eye-witness who was present not very far from the site of the crime informed that Prof Islamuddin was coming out from his room and heading towards his car parked at the vehicle shed located in front of the road to the east of Economics Department and northwest of the University library when around three persons approached Md Islamuddin and took him along the footpath leading to the Library. Not long after that gun shots were heard and Prof Islamuddin was seen dropping down to his knees after being shot on his leg. While Prof Islamuddin was in that position, the unidentified gunmen shot two more rounds and he fell to the ground in a heap.Soon after committing the crime, one of the gunmen slipped the gun inside the tool box of the Kinetic Honda underneath the seat and all three of them left driving their Kinetic Hondas towards the boys’s hotel, said the witness.Police said that one of the Kinetic Hondas used by the killers belong to a student of the University.Prof Islamuddin was immediately rushed to RIMS Hospital where the doctors declared him brought dead at around 12.35 pm.A Professor of Economics, Md Islamuddin was the Dean of Students’ Welfare of the University before taking over the charge of Proctor.In connection with the incident, president of Mani-pur University Teachers’ Association (MUTA) Mai-bam Ranjit said he was informed about a man lying dead and when he went to inspect it turned out to be Prof Islamuddin. Immediately, Prof Isla-muddin was taken to RIMS Hospital in his car but he could not be saved.A resident of Yairipok Changamdabi Mathak Leikai, Prof Islamuddin was 50 years of age. He is survived by his wife, two sons and one daughter. All his children are studying outside the State and he was staying along with his wife in the quarters allotted to him inside the University campus.There were two fatal bullet marks on the left side of the stomach. There was also a bullet mark on his left thigh.Strongly condemning the the killing, Chief Minister O Ibobi Singh has assured that the killers, whether they be members of UG groups or student bodies, would not be spared.Talking to mediapersons at the mortuary of RIMS Hospital where he had come to share the grief of the family members, Ibobi said killing of a Professor inside the campus of an educational institution which is not unthinkable even during war is an act of cowardice that can be committed only by some brazen criminals.The Chief Minister expressed apprehension that such senseless violences not only cause disturbance in the developmental activities of the State but may also discourage the Government of India from the efforts of setting up of NIT, IIT or IIIT in the State or the sites of these projects may be shifted to other North Eastern States.Education Minister L Jayantakumar said that killing of a University Professor could have been carried out only by those who do not think about the welfare of the students.Works Minister K Ranjit, MOBC Minister Md Allauddin Khan, PDA Chairman Kh Loken, MLA I Ibohalbi and MLA Th Lokeshore also visited the RIMS morgue.