IT News
Imphal, Aug 10:
Media organizations in Manipur staged a protest in response to a recent attack on press materials yesterday. The protest followed a memorandum submitted to the Chief Minister, where the media fraternity expressed deep concern over the August 7 incident in which a truck carrying newsprint and printing materials was hijacked and the materials were set on fire on the national highway in Haiken Village, Kangpokpi District.
The memorandum, signed by Vice-Presidents of the All Manipur Working Journalists’ Union (AMWJU) and the Editors Guild Manipur (EGM), condemned the attack as a direct assault on the media. They urged the government to take immediate action to safeguard the rights of journalists and publishing houses, and to ensure the free movement of press-related materials.
In a show of protest, all electronic news channels in the state ceased operations, and no newspapers were published on August 10. The media organizations presented a four-point charter of demands, including the identification and legal action against those responsible for the attack, ensuring free movement of press materials on highways, compensation for the losses incurred by publishing houses, and the transfer of security responsibilities for the affected highway sections to the Army’s Red Shield Division or the IGAR (South).
The media fraternity has called on the Chief Minister to promptly address their demands to uphold press freedom and ensure the safety and security of media personnel in the state.
