Taking a serious note on the recent incident of attacking reporters by protestors while performing their duty during the ongoing demand for ILP, All Manipur Working Journalist Union (AMWJU) has asked the JCILPS and local leaders to instruct their supporters not to disturb pressmen while discharging duties.
In a release, Ratan Luwang, Vice-President of AMWJU said that some miscreant protestors allegedly attack and harass reporters who are travelling around to cover the ongoing agitation for ILPS implementation. Attacking reporters and destroying their vehicle while they return home after their work is condemnable.
Reporters are performing their duties while risking their lives at this situation. However, the cause of the present movement is about to tarnish with such senseless activities of the miscreant protestors. It should be stopped immediately. If it continues all pressmen will stop covering news on the ILP movement, he warned.
In order to prevent from avoiding from misleading the public, leaders should strictly instruct their volunteers not to cause any untoward incidents and disturb reporters who are disseminating the news of the present movement.
While condemning the incident of torturing reports at Bishnupur by two police personnel of district police while covering an ILP agitation, it also said that even after producing identity cards, the policemen deployed at Bishnupur bazaar on Saturday check the mobile phone contact numbers of the reporters. It is a gross violation of Press Freedom.