Shillong, Oct 26: The Indian Journalist Union (IJU) has strongly condemned the assault of a Manipur journalist and urged Chief Minister N. Biren Singh to book the culprits under the law.
The national union of scribes also wished for an early recovery of Elangbam Rameshwar, who works as a Thoubal correspondent of Naharolgi Thoudang regional daily newspaper, which is published from Imphal.
Local media hinted that the handiwork was masterminded by some Congress workers in Thoubal locality. The journalist was attacked by a sgroup of 20 to 25 masked men on the morning of October 24.
The rural reporter faced the assault at his residence in the Heirok area. The assailants had reportedly vandalised his house also. Injured scribe Rameshwar has been hospitalised at Thoubal district hospital where he is slowly recovering from wounds.
Various political parties, civil society organisations and media bodies condemned the attack on the reporter, which is understood to be related to the forthcoming assembly polls in Manipur early next year.
According to the reporter’s family member, the group of miscreants came to meet Rameshwar and then after some debates, they started hitting him showing a “wrong/biased report” by him on Naharolgi Thoudang. Later when the neighbours came to rescue him, the group fled.
“Assault on a scribe for his works is nothing but an attack on freedom of the press. The concerned authority must ensure identifying the culprits to punish under the provision of laws,” said a statement issued by IJU president K. Sreenivas Reddy and secretary general Balwinder Singh Jammu.
They added that the political parties must adhere to the principle of respecting the public voices, which may be not be favourable for them, especially when the State is going for the assembly polls.
