Militants extorting money from Imphal teachers - India News and Travel Times Provides India-centric and other News and Features

Teaching staff of several schools and colleges in Imphal have complained of receiving constant threats of extortion from militants in the region. Recently, militants threatened teachers of the Ghana Priya Women's College, asking them to cough up money or face dire consequences. "They (militants) are demanding money on a monthly basis from the salary of the teachers. Our teachers are working under pressure. If they do not agree to the militants' demands, they fear that they might be attacked. And if they stop coming to school, our studies will be affected," said Jibonlata Devi, a student. "As it is, there are lots of problems in the state. Now, all these monetary demands are hampering the normal conduct of our classes. The lecturers are under an intense pressure and it shows in the way they are teaching nowadays," said Dhanapriyari Devi, another student. Reportedly, the Kangleipak Communist Party ( KCP ) and the United National Liberation Front, two of the region's proscribed militant groups have been issuing repeated extortion threats.