Newspapers and news channels in Manipur will once again refrain from printing and broadcasting news indefinitely. This is one of the eight resolutions passed on Thursday at an emergency meeting of the All Manipur Working Journalists Union (AMWJU) and Editors Guild Manipur (EGM).
Manipur limped back to normality a few days ago after shutting down newspaper offices and news channels for six days. During the strike period no proscribed underground outfit claimed responsibility for the botched hand grenade attack on the office of The Poknapham, which also brings out a sister publication, The People’s Chronicle. The AMWJU and the EGM called off the strike “assuming that the newspaper and its reporters had not committed any mistake.”
However, on Wednesday the newspaper was asked to suspend publication for six months. The AMWJU and the EGM condemned the decision. They said that before taking any action against a newspaper or reporter the detailed charge should be made available. In this case the charges should be sent though the official email ID within 48 hours beginning from 6 a.m. on Friday. No newspaper should hit the stands from Friday, said the resolution.
Chief Minister N. Biren, who also holds the Home portfolio, had already announced that armed security guards would be deployed in newspaper offices.
