Imphal:
Five students on indefinite hunger strike demanding Inner Line Permit in Manipur were arrested and admitted to Regional Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS) hospital in Imphal today as their health condition deteriorated.
Police lobbed teargas shells and used rubber bullets to disperse the protesters who pelted stones to prevent the arrest, a police officer said adding that nobody was injured in the incident.
A senior police officer said the condition of Thoudam Mukesh, who was also on indefinite hunger strike and arrested along with four others from the fast site earlier, was serious and he was undergoing treatment.
The arrested students were taken to the hospital by members of state-run Child Welfare Committee and the Chief Medical Officer at about 11.45 am today.
The District Magistrate of Imphal East, A Noutuneshwari Devi inspected the condition of arrested juveniles at RIMS hospital, the officer said.
The Joint Committee on Inner Line Permit System (JCILPS) was spearheading the agitation demanding implementation of Inner Line Permit System in Manipur.