The Imphal Free Press

IMPHAL, Nov 4: The Editors Guild of India strongly condemned the increasing trend of mistreatment and life threatening abuses of journlists on the streets of Manipur by police commandos, especially when journalists are returning home late night from work, in a statement signed by its president, Rajdeep Sardesai.

The statement said the guild is shocked that the police are not giving any respect to the accreditation cards issued by the state government to journalists, and instead abuse journalists as collaborators of insurgents.

A. Brijit of Kangla Pao and Priyo Achom of Image TV were stopped by commandos at a checkpost in the state capital Imphal, it said.

Ridiculing the identity cards displayed by the journalists, the commandos made a journalist to stand on one leg. When the journalist refused, a gun was placed on the head with the policemen saying nobody would bother if a journalist. On other occasion, Khelen Thokchom of The Telegraph was stopped and taunted that "journalists should not act tough as bullets do not between journalists and others, the release said.

The journalists of Manipur, who are already under tremendous pressure while discharging their journalistic responsibilities in a state racked by insurgency, are being intimidated frequently by the state police, it said.

The Guild urged the government of Manipur to put a stop to the illtreatment and threats to journalists by policemen, and take action against policemen who threatened A. Brijit, Priyo Achom and Khelen Thokchom, the statement further said.

Mere transfer of the abusive and violent commandos from their post is not the answer, it added.

They must be held accountable for their threats to punish journalists with bullets. This kind of a situation is unacceptable in a democracy which has enshrined the freedom of information in its Constitution. Rogue policemen cannot and should not be allowed to roam the streets of Manipur, the statement added.

 

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