Guwahati: A team from the Irilbung Police Station in the Imphal East District picked up Hemantakumar Ningomba, Editor of the Sanaleibak daily newspaper from his residence. The All Manipur Working Journalists Union (AMWJU) and Editors’ Guild (EGM) severely condemned the action.
Notably, on January 4, 2023, at 10:00 AM, a thorough debate between the All Manipur Working Journalists Union and Editors’ Guild, Manipur was held at the Manipur Press Club in Imphal.
“Hemantakumar is a respected editor and is not an absconder and the manner how he was picked up for his statement in a panel discussion on a local TV channel affects his dignity and stature in the society,” mentioned in a joint statement of AMWJU and EGM.
The Union further asserted that because no charge had been filed against him and he had been released after a short period of time, the concerned officials could have easily invited him in for a chat during business hours.
The meeting also decided to present the State Government with the matter in order to prevent similar repulsive situations in the future.
“If such avoidable incidents happen again, 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,” mentioned the statement.
In 2021, the Manipur Police also filed charges under the National Security Act (NSA) against a local journalist and another activist for their contentious social media statements over the passing of COVID-19 victim and Manipur state BJP president S Tikendra Singh.
Following his Facebook post, an FIR was registered against him by Manipur state BJP vice-president Usham Deban and general secretary P Premananda Meetei.
After that, the journalist Kishorechandra Wangkhem (41) and the campaigner Leichombam (40) were both taken into custody by the Manipur police from their residence.
The two had written on Facebook that COVID-19 had no treatments other than cow dung and cow urine while expressing their condolences for the BJP leader’s passing.
Additionally, after Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh and Prime Minister Narendra Modi were criticised in a video that journalist Kishorchandra Wangkhem shared on Facebook in 2018, the National Security Act was used against him.
After that, he was imprisoned before being freed in April 2019.