Imphal: Media organizations in Manipur condemned the December 25 incident where some people in four vehicles tried to disrupt the transportation of newsprint of The Sangai Express daily by trying to intimidate a staff of the newspaper who was ferrying the materials, terming it as an attack on ‘the entire media fraternity’.
According to reports, some people in four vehicles tried to “stop and intimidate” the newspaper staff early Saturday at Changagei Ucheckon in Imphal West district. The identities of the “ruffians” are yet to be ascertained.
All Manipur Working Journalists’ Union (AMWJU), Editors’ Guild, Manipur (EGM) and Manipur Hills Journalists’ Union (MHJU) have strongly condemned the incident.
EGM said that such incidents should not be taken lightly. It then urged the concerned authorities to initiate actions and nab the people involved in the incident.
AMWJU said that such incidents targeting the media is a threat to the entire media fraternity. The union also said that “such an act is a challenge to the freedom of expression”.
The Manipur Hills Journalists Union (MHJU) has expressed strong concerns and “vehemently condemned the intimidation of a staff of The Sangai Express while on duty. “Such repeated attack on media fraternity with a motive to harm those victims is indeed concerning and unacceptable”, MHJU said.