Journalists in Manipur under the banner of All Manipur Working Journalists Union (AMWJU) Friday decided to intensify their agitation demanding judicial inquiry into the murder of Rishikanta, alleging that the government had failed to initiate any action with regard to their demands.
As the agitation including media blackout (both print and visual) entered the third day, women vendors and shopkeepers of Khwairamband Bazar (Women market) also shut down their shutters and staged a sit-in protest showing solidarity to the cause of the state scribes.
Meanwhile, AMWJU held another round of meeting at the Manipur Press Club to decide the future course of action.
The meeting decided to apprise the State Governor and Centre on the killing through representations, to take help of journalist fraternity outside the State while putting up the matter to the knowledge of the Union Home Ministry and to carry out a rally in Imphal with the support of the civil organizations.
The date of the rally would be decided after AMWJU hold a meeting with the civil organizations.
Editors Guild’s plea
NEW DELHI, NOV 21 (PTI): Following the killing of 22-year-old journalist Konsam Rishikant Singh in Manipur a few days back, the Editors Guild of India today requested Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to take a personal interest to ensure full protection to journalists working there.
In a letter to the PM, the Guild said, “journalistic organisations have raised concerns about the involvement of security forces in the murder of Singh and have sought a judicial inquiry. The Guild requests you to take personal interest in the situation in Manipur and if necessary order a CBI investigation into the murder of journalists.”
The Guild also requested the Prime Minister to direct the Government of Manipur as well as the central security forces, including the Army operating in Manipur, to ensure that “newspapers and journalists are given full protection there”.
The Guild is deeply concerned for the safety of journalists working in Manipur. Singh is the fifth journalist to be gunned down in the past few years and the culprits of these murders have not been brought to book. The newspapers of Manipur have decided to shut down publication as there is no security for them, editors and journalists and this is a grave situation, it said in the letter.
Copies of the letter have also been submitted to Home Minister Shivraj Patil, Manipur Governor Gurbachan Jagat and Chief Minister Ibobi Singh.
The Guild extends its support to the Manipur editors and journalists and demands immediate action by both the central and state governments to protect the media in Manipur, a release issued by Guild President Rajdeep Sardesai and its General Secretary K S Sachidananda Murthy said.
“Nabbing the killers of Rishikant Singh must be a high priority for the governments,” they added. Singh was killed on November 17. He was a junior sub-editor of the daily newspaper ‘The Imphal Free Press’.
http://www.nagalandpost.com/ShowStory.aspx?npoststoryiden=UzEwMDUxNDU%3d-atqTFuGRF%2b8%3d
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