IT News
Imphal, Feb 25:
The All Manipur Working Journalists’ Union (AMWJU) and the Editors’ Guild Manipur (EGM) have vehemently condemned brutal assault and abduction of Image TV reporter Kumar Nongthombam by heavily armed assailant on the midnight of February 23.
Hailing from Huikap Mayai Leikai, the 39-year-old reporter was residing in a rented room in Wangkhei, Imphal East. Reports indicate that he was brutally assaulted in his room before being forcibly taken away. AMWJU members, upon searching for him, discovered Kumar critically injured within an office building on the DM University campus. Subsequently, two members of a non-governmental organization (NGO) handed him over to AMWJU and facilitated his admission to a hospital for urgent medical attention.
The perpetrators also set fire to Kumar’s rented accommodation, shared with two students who were fortunately absent at the time. Personal belongings of Kumar including salary, a laptop, a camera, and valuable documents and books of the two students were cinder.
Local residents informed journalists covering the incident of a reporter named Kumar staying in one of the rooms. However, attempts to locate him initially proved fruitless until members of a civil society organization (CSO) directed them to the injured reporter inside the DM university complex. According to Kumar, unidentified armed individuals forcibly entered his room, assaulted him without provocation, and disregarded his press credentials, discarding them into the fire. Blindfolded and beaten, he recounted being moved to another room by a CSO member familiar with him.
At approximately 1:30 a.m. on February 24, Kumar was admitted to Raj Medicity for treatment.
In a joint statement, the EGM and AMWJU denounced the attack, stressing that while journalists often face risks in their line of duty, Kumar Nongthombam’s ordeal transcended professional hazards. They urged CSOs and others to refrain from such egregious acts in the future, warning of potential boycotts should such incidents recur.
