Amidst the people of Manipur fighting for the justified cause of the State demanding implementation of Inner Line Permit system, the unwarranted incidents of ILPS supporters and State Police personnel allegedly assaulting State journalists who were on their duties at various places across the State have come as a great shock. A press release signed by Sothing Shimray, President, Manipur Hill Journalist Union (MHJU) and Nengkhanlun, Secretary, MHJU states that the union take serious note of such unruly behavior on the part of those protestors who are otherwise fighting for a noble cause and condemn such incidents in the strongest term, adding that Journalists are working for dissemination of news to the public and for the most part, risking their lives in covering various life threatening incidents happening in our society. But ignoring their situations and threatening their lives by physically assaulting and disrupting their duties by miscreants and the so called law keepers is quite unfortunate. Irrespective of hills and valley, MHJU stands by the rights of the press fraternity. No one has the rights to rob off the rights of the press fraternity. MHJU therefore appeals to one and all not to repeat such unwarranted acts in future. Meanwhile, Ukhrul District Working Journalists Association (UDWJA) joins the chorus of condemnation against the alleged assault on State journalists and disruption of their duties by protestors and police personnel during the ongoing ILPS movement in several parts of the State. A press release jointly signed by Thotshang Shaiza, President, UDWJA and R Lester Makang Secretary, UDWJA states that at a time when the State is fighting for implementation of the ILP system for the long deprived indigenous people, hampering duties of journalists covering the movement by resorting to physical attack against them would only lead to starvation of news for the public. The way some ILPS protestors put journalists through unwarranted ordeals in their duties in various parts of the State amounts to disrespecting the whole press fraternity. As for the police, their highhandedness is all too well known. It is quite unbecoming of the guardians of peace to breach the rights of journalists stipulated by the Indian Constitution by subjecting them to unreasonable questioning despite journalists identified themselves with press ID cards. Vehemently condemning the incidents, UDWJA fervently hopes that the government take exemplary actions against those guilty police personnel and the protestors mend their ways so that such incidents to not repeat in future.
