Suspending their normal duty, Media fraternity of the state cease work on Wednesday and staged sit-in at Keishampat against the threat by an underground outfit on the lives of editors and journalists for not publishing its news. Organized by the All Manipur Working Journalists’ Union (AMWJU) and Editors’ Guild, scribes also took out a joint rally here today to protest against the threat served to editors, reporters. More than 200 scribes marched from Keishampat here to the gate of the chief minister’s office complex. A joint delegation of the All Manipur Working Journalists’ Union (AMWJU) and Editors’ Guild met the chief minister and reported the threat in the form of memorandum and sought a secure environment for newspersons. The delegation informed the CM that the latest threat was served to the Editors’ Guild, Manipur secretary General Yumnam Rupachandra who is also Editor-in-chief of Impact TV by a group of unidentified people claiming to be members of an armed group by placing a Chinese hand grenade at his residence in Imphal west on Sunday night at around 8.30 pm. The threat is in connection with non publication of certain press statement released by this group which the media in the state had refused to publish. Following the grenade threat, the group has been calling up several media houses and individual scribes, threatening them to publish their statement. However, AMWJU and EGM have resolved not to publish the same and to cease work on December 16 in protest against the threat. Pointing out that the scribes in Manipur are now under threat and the working environment has become more insecure, the joint delegation of AMWJU and EGM urged the Chief Minister to ensure a safe and secure environment for the journalists working in Manipur. They also urged to open adequate police pickets in and around residential areas of Editors and office bearers of AMWJU and individual scribes who have been directly threatened by the militant group. All the newspapers in Manipur were published with their editorial spaces blank on Wednesday to protest the threat served to the media. It may be mentioned that a Chinese hand grenade was discovered at the gate of Editor in Chief of Impact News and general secretary of Editors’ Guild Manipur – Yumnam Rupachandra at Kakwa Khongnang Pheidekpi under Singjamei Police Station on Monday evening around 8:15. The grenade was wrapped in a polythene bag.
