Imphal: The Democratic Students Alliance of Manipur wants an independent probe into 160 metric tonnes of non-watermarked paper. The group sent an open letter to Chief Minister Yumnam Khemchand Singh. They want to know where the paper went. BOSEM procured the stock during President Rule in December 2025 to print textbooks and answer scripts. It vanished. The student body claims the paper was recovered following a theft case and locked in storage, but they doubt the government accounted for the full amount.
Where is the paper? DESAM pointed out that the BOSEM office lacks a facility capable of housing 160 metric tonnes of material. Six student organizations previously sent a memorandum to the Governor regarding sub-standard educational supplies. Those groups staged protests outside the New Secretariat and BOSEM office. Police targeted protesters. DESAM claims the Commissioner of Education forwarded a proposal for a high-level investigation committee to the Chief Minister, but it remains stalled.
The group demands a full audit covering the procurement, usage, and current location of the paper. They also want a separate inquiry into sub-standard materials used for RTE textbooks. DESAM said, "The issue was not merely about the alleged disappearance of paper but concerned transparency, financial accountability and the quality of educational materials supplied to students." The alliance insists that any officials found guilty must face punishment and that the government reveal all findings to the public.
Updated at 18th August 2026 at 6:02pm
The student body is specifically pushing for a detailed, item-wise breakdown of the missing stock. This includes an exact ledger showing the total amount purchased, how much was actually funneled into printing jobs, and exactly how many tonnes remain unaccounted for.
DESAM also slammed the quality of the materials, demanding that any officials caught cutting corners on the procurement and distribution of sub-standard examination and textbook supplies face immediate consequences.
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