Photo Courtesy: India Today Group
Imphal: The Democratic Students’ Alliance of Manipur (DESAM) stepped into the fight on Monday, September 14. They backed research scholars at Dhanamanjuri University who launched a hunger strike over unpaid fellowships and stipends. The pressure is on. DESAM demanded that the Manipur government and university officials act now to settle these accounts.
Research work eats money. Scholars must pay for fieldwork, data collection, travel, books, and equipment. DESAM called these demands genuine and legitimate, noting that researchers need this cash to maintain their dignity and keep their projects moving. The group insisted that payments are not charity, stating, "Fellowship is not a favour or charity; it is essential academic support that enables scholars to carry out their research with dignity and continuity."
The current delay creates real hardship. DESAM wants a permanent system for transparent, timely payments. Beyond basic stipends, the group is pushing for funding for publications, seminars, and other academic contingencies. Authorities must open a dialogue with the protesters immediately. DESAM warned that officials must not sacrifice student success, adding, "The academic future and well-being of Research Scholars must not be compromised due to the absence of timely financial support."
Updated at 14th September 2026 at 10:00pm
The protest is already in its sixth day. Three PhD scholars, Naorem Venus, Yeengal Leima Huidrom, and Irom Dimocha, launched the indefinite hunger strike on September 9 alongside student leader Oinam Keba. The scholars say they have been chasing the state for payments since March.
Stipends have been missing since the PhD program launched in 2022. According to protesters, more than 750 scholars are eligible for the funding. Dimocha noted that while they received verbal promises for a September payout, the Chief Minister recently told the Assembly that the government is still scrambling to find the money.
Scholars are feeling abandoned. Search Joy Khamrang, a researcher, said the government's silence feels like a step-motherly treatment. He warned that the financial strain is crushing the morale of researchers who are mostly from vulnerable backgrounds, leaving them struggling to survive while the state ignores their plight.
Updated at 15th September 2026 at 1:49pm
The hunger strike hit its seventh day on Tuesday. Konsam Premjit, president of the Democratic Youth Front, says no government official has reached out to talk to the protesters since the start of the agitation.
A fact-finding report from the group points to a Manipur Gazette notification from October 30, 2017, which mandates stipends for PhD research scholars. Premjit claims the state is ignoring its own rules by failing to pay the 2022 batch. The proposed monthly rate of Rs 8,000 was meant to ease the burden of heavy out-of-pocket costs for lab supplies and field gear, but it never arrived.
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