Northeast

Manipur local paper editor Hemanta picked up by police

AMWJU and Editors Guild condemn government action and warns

ByIFP Bureau

Updated 5 Jan 2023, 8:57 am

Representational Image (PHOTO: IFP)
Representational Image (PHOTO: IFP)

 

Manipur police on Wednesday picked up an editor of a local vernacular paper and detained him at a police station for nearly four hours for expressing his opinion in a TV talk show programme.

Editor Ningombam Hemantakumar was reportedly picked up from his residence located at Khongman Okram Chuthek, Imphal East by a team of Irilbung police station at around 7 am on Wednesday. Hemantakumar was detained at the police station for about four hours however, no case was registered against him.

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Hemantakumar was picked up for expressing an opinion during a discussion hour programme of a local cable TV on January 2 regarding the topic “Corruption and pending recruitment results”.

In connection with the detention of Hemantakumar, the All Manipur Working Journalist Union (AMWJU) and the Editor Guild Manipur (EGM) held a joint meeting at Manipur press Club, Majorkhul, Imphal the same day.

A joint press statement of AMWJU and EGM signed by its presidents Wangkhemcha Samjai and Khogendra Khomdram mentioned that “the meeting strongly condemned the manner of the picking up of editor Hemantakumar Ningomba from his residence in the early hour of Wednesday by a team of Irilbung police station of Imphal East district. He is a respectable editor and not an absconder and the manner how he was picked up for his statement in the panel discussion in local TV channel affects his dignity and status in the society. 

"The concerned officers could have simply invited him for a discussion during the office hours as no case has been registered against him and he was set free after some hours”.

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The statement further mentioned that the meeting also resolved to place before the state government to ensure that such unsavoury incidents do not recur in future. The two media bodies cautioned that the journalist fraternity will not take it lying down and all efforts to safeguard the journalists of the state will be taken up including legal action if a similar incident occurred in the future.

Meanwhile, SP Imphal East has clarified that editor Hemantakumar Ningomba made a statement which had a significant impact on the 'War on Drugs' policy and also could discourage and undermine the morale of the police department in this regard. And in order to ascertain the statement Hemantakumar was summoned to the police station as per law.

In the said TV discussion, Editor Hemantakumar had expressed his opinion about the ongoing War on Drugs campaign and widespread poppy cultivation in some hill areas. He had suggested that poppy cultivation could be reduced to a minimum if the state government takes into confidence two powerful women into joining the campaign seriously.

However, he did not mention the names of the two women.

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manipur policemedia freedomegmamwjupress medianingombam hemantakumar

IFP Bureau

IFP Bureau

IMPHAL, Manipur

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