Sub-standard paper used in printing text books DESAM takes protest to BOSEM office

By Our Staff Reporter
IMPHAL, Apr 2 : Members of the Democratic Students' Alliance Manipur (DESAM) stormed the office of the Board of Secondary Education Manipur (BOSEM) at Babupura today, accusing the Board of using substandard paper for printing Class X textbooks and answer sheets.
The protesters, who raised slogans against the alleged use of inferior paper, also threw eggs at the BOSEM office in protest.
Led by DESAM president Oinam Romesh, the protesters stormed the BOSEM office around 12.30 pm.
A team of Imphal West police also arrived at the scene to disperse the crowd.
Apart from a brief standoff between the police and the protesters, no other untoward incidents occurred, and there were no reports of any injury.
Speaking to the media, Romesh stated that they have been urging the Government and BOSEM to use high-quality paper with a watermark for printing textbooks and answer sheets before the start of the 2026 academic session.
Stating that BOSEM ignored the issue despite their repeated requests and used inferior paper for printing textbooks and answer sheets, he urged the Government to take action against the BOSEM officials responsible for the decision.
Feedbacks from various printing presses have confirmed the use of substandard paper, he said, claiming that the paper won't last even three months.
Stating that they submitted a memorandum to the Governor a few months ago regarding the issue, but nothing had been done to address it, he added that DESAM will launch more intense agitations if the matter is not resolved.