IT News
Imphal, May 2,
KSO Gunpi Block today cleans hand to the arson of St. Joseph School.
The school was burnt on the night of April 25, and following the sequence of event that took place following the suspension of 6 students the KSO Gunpi Block has been accused of the crime by everyone.
A statement by KSO Gunpi Block stated that the accusation hurled on KSO regarding the involvement of KSO Gunpi Block in the burning down of the school is conceived by some vested interest. The KSO Gunpi Block said that the organisation condemns the incident in the strongest term.
Following is the clarification by the KSO Gunpi Block.
- It is a fact that the KSO Gunpi Block had taken a decision to close down the school. The decision was arrived at solely to save the career of 6 young students, who have been placed under suspension by the school authority. The KSO Gunpi Block repeatedly appealed to Father Dominic but our appeals were disregarded. So as to bring the school authority at the negotiating table the KSO Gunpi Block found no alternative but to close down the school. We, as students leaders, had done our best to fight for the six students and we have no regrets over it. For what we had done was to save their career. In Matthew 18:12-13 it says, “If a man has a hundred sheep and one of them wanders away, what will he do? Won’t he leave the ninety-nine others on the hills and go out to search for the one that is lost? And if he finds it, I tell you the truth, he will rejoice it over more than over the ninety-nine that did not wander away.” As a Catholic Christian school the principal of the school should have cared for the 6 students who could have wandered away.
- On the first day of school closure, the KSO Gunpi Block executives went to the school and found that people have assembled at the school to protest KSO Gunpi Block’s action. We felt it is a challenge to KSO’s authority and were bent on defending KSO’s prestige.
So in order to ensure that the school is closed we accidentally used unwise and regrettable words which hurt and angered the sentiment of the people, and also unintentional words which could wrongly incriminated us in crime. However, at the end of the day, the school authority relents to hold a discussion with us to solve belligerent situation.
- So at 4:30 pm we had a meeting with the Parish Pastoral Council at our office in which we mutually agreed to solve the entire problem. Accordingly we decided to have a final meeting the day after at 10:00 am that would solve all our issues.
- At 7:00 pm the meeting dispersed and we headed back to our respective house to rest. But at around 9:40 pm it was heard that the school building was on fire. Some of the executives had gone to douse the fire and save the building. But the mob that had gathered there begun to abuse them and accused them of setting the building on fire. Some persons who wielded daos and sticks chased and threatened to kill them. So we fled from the mob to save our lives fearing the mob culture that is prevalent in our society today.
Here the KSO Gunpi Block would like to ask some pertinent questions. Why would we commit an act of arson after taking all the troubles of reconciling with the school authority and when all our issues were to be finally settled the next day? Why should we have taken the trouble of trying to save the school building if we were the one who had set the building on fire? What discernible proofs did the JAC possess to directly accuse us of arson? The JAC claimed to know the persons who had set the fire but why did they hesitate to disclose their names in public? Is it not prudent to question the JAC members on the real identity of the people who had burnt down the school?
The KSO Gunpi Block once again clarify that it is completely innocent of burning down the school and feels hurt that such a wild allegation has been thrown against us. It seems the JAC was formed with intent to instigate the gullible public against KSO. It would be in the mutual interest of both parties if the JAC stops arbitrary allegation towards KSO Gunpi Block.
The police have arrested two of our members and have been in their custody for the last five days. If the two executives are really guilty of the crime their guilt would have already been established by now. Therefore is it not reasonable that the two executives be released unconditionally and immediately as they are not guilty of the act of arson.
