The situation in Manipur remained tense on Monday as several educational institutions were closed in various parts of the state with students boycotting classes in protest against government's failure to lift the Armed Forces Special Powers Act, official reports said.
"Students cannot sit calmly in classrooms and study in the prevailing situation," a joint statement of All Manipur Students Union, Manipur Students Federation and Democratic Students Association of Manipur said.
Meanwhile, security measures were tightened at many places during the day following late last night's failure of talks between Union Home Minister Shivraj Patil and leaders of 32 organisations, spearheading the anti-Act stir, officials said.
In the wake of earlier threat by agitators to continue their stir if the talks failed, police and security forces would remain deployed at all the strategic points.
Leaders of the oganisations lamented after meeting the Home Minister that the Centre did not understand the sentiments of people in Manipur.
"They (Centre) are not respecting our rights," the leaders commented when asked about the response of Patil to their demand for the Act's repeal.
Patil, who left for Shillong during the day, said after last night's discussion that the Centre's doors were always open for talks to solve any problem and appealed to the agitation leaders to call off the stir.
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