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On July 9, 2026, a very big tension happened in the education sector of Manipur. Hundreds of young student volunteers came out on the streets to show their anger. These students belongs to a famous group called the Democratic Students’ Alliance of Manipur, which people commonly know as DESAM. They gathered in huge numbers and staged a very fierce demonstration right outside the main Secretariat complex which is located in Mantripukhri. The whole area became completely blocked because the student crowd was very big and everyone was shouting slogans against the authorities. The security guards and police forces had a very tough time to control the angry crowd because the students was not ready to leave the place until someone listens to their heavy demands.
The Core Issue: Low Quality Paper and Missing Watermarks :
The main reason behind this massive protest is a very big scam related to school textbooks. The DESAM student leaders have alleged that a lot of corruption have taken place inside the Board of Secondary Education Manipur, which is called BOSEM. They are saying that the board have used very cheap and substandard paper for printing the core textbooks of school students. According to the government guidelines, these textbooks should have a proper watermark on every page to maintain quality and avoid duplicate printing. But the students found out that the papers does not have any watermark at all. They feel that the department have wasted a huge amount of public funds by giving contracts to bad suppliers who did not follow the rules properly.
Effigies Burned and Slogans Raised Against BOSEM Leaders :
As the protest became more angry, the volunteers did something very dramatic to show their frustration. They brought big effigies of the BOSEM Chairperson and the Secretary right in front of the gate. The students shouted very loud slogans against these top officers, blaming them for playing with the future of small kids. After that, they set the effigies on fire in the middle of the road. The smoke and fire created a lot of panic for some time, but the students said they will not stop until these corrupt officers gives an answer. They believe that a scam of this big level cannot happen without the direct involvement of the top management of the secondary education board.
Demands for Strict Inquiry and Immediate Action :
The student union have put forward some very strict demands before the government of Manipur. They want the Chief Minister and the Education Minister to immediately suspend the Chairperson and Secretary of BOSEM so that they cannot manipulate the files. DESAM leaders said that an independent high-level inquiry committee must be set up to check where all the public money went. They want a proper audit of the printing contracts that was given out this year. The students are also asking the government to replace all the bad quality textbooks immediately because the pages are so thin that they are tearing up very easily when kids are writing on them.
Impact on Students and Future Course of Action :
This whole textbook paper scam have created a very bad environment for thousands of school students across Manipur who are currently preparing for their exams. The parents are also very worried because they have paid full money but they are getting very cheap books. The DESAM leaders have openly warned the state government that this July 9 protest is just the beginning of their movement. If the administration does not take any strict action within the next 48 hours, they will start a state-wide school shutdown and a bigger agitation. They said that education is a basic right and they will never allow any corrupt department officials to destroy the quality of learning for their own greedy profits.
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