Top journalist bodies lifted concern on challenges to media in Manipur

Imphal: The media fraternity has been working under extremely challenging circumstances in the ongoing communal clashes amid the deployment of over 80, 000 security forces to restore elusive peace in this sensitive border state.

All Manipur Working Journalists Union (AMWJU) and Editors’ Guild Manipur (EGM), have appealed to all security forces operating in the state not to target or impede media personnel in the execution of their legitimate duties especially when taking reports on the violent prone locations.

In a joint statement, AMWJU and EGM strongly criticized and condemned acts of the errant central security forces belonging to the 20 Jat Regiment and 5/4 Gorkha Rifles from preventing a media team of local Cable TV Channels from documenting the incident and forced to delete footage captured on their mobile phones at Sabungkhok Khunou areas in Imphal East District on Thursday.

It was a blatant assault on the freedom of expression, and a deliberate attempt to stifle the press, the statement alleged.

Urging to investigate the series of assaults on the media coverage in the ongoing communal, and to take appropriate corrective measures within this purview, the two apex journalist bodies said that concerning a series of assaults on media, a memorandum would be submitted to Governor Anusuiya Uikey, and chairman of Unified Command, security advisor to C.M. Kuldiep Singh in the next couple of days.