May 8, 2025: The normal functioning of the prestigious health institute of the region, RIMS, has been disrupted to a certain extent after hundreds of students from the Regional Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS), Imphal, staged a sit-in protest on its campus on Thursday, demanding the resignation of Director Guruaribam Sunil Kumar Singh over his alleged repeated harassment and verbal abuse, including obscene remarks that have reached the ears of the students.
The irate medical students shouted in unison, “Down, Down, RIMS DIRECTOR. Down Down RIMS Director,” and demanded his removal from the post before the issue escalates further.
During the demonstration, students displayed placards with messages such as “Why Director Want Us to Be Naked,” “We Accept Punishment, Not Harassment,” “We Condemn Sexual Harassment of Girls,” and “We Demand Removal of Director, Dean and Sub Dean.”
The protesting students also demanded action against the Dean and Sub-Dean, accusing them of contributing to the mental distress of students. They vowed to continue the protest until the officials step down.
The prestigious RIMS has now come under scrutiny for excessive discrimination, abuse, fines, and breach of modesty of female students, allegedly by its higher authorities headed by its Director Sunil, using barbaric and uncivilized language.
After the recently concluded college annual festival—RIMSAM—on campus, 218 students of RIMS attended a house party. Following this, on May 1, the 218 students were suspended for a period of 10 days and ordered to pay a fine of ₹1000 each (218 x 1000 = ₹2,18,000 in total) by May 5, 2025. In addition, students were ordered to vacate their hostel rooms by May 6, 2025, the same day the notice was issued—something many outstation students found not only challenging but also a cause of huge emotional and mental trauma affecting their academic and personal lives.
