The Editors Guild of India on September 5 expressed shock at Manipur chief minister N Biren Singh’s statements in response to its report on the media coverage of the ethnic violence in the Northeast state.
The Editors Guild said that CM Biren Singh’s statements were “intimidatory” and urged him to close the FIRs registered against the press body.
In a statement, the Editors Guild said the chief minister’s labelling of the journalists’ body as “anti-state” and “anti-national” was deeply disturbing.
The Manipur Police on September 4 registered an FIR against EGI president Seema Mustafa and the three-member fact-finding committee who visited Manipur to study the media coverage of the ethnic violence.
Since the FIR was lodged, several press bodies including the Press Club of India, Mumbai Press Club, DIGIPUB News India Foundation and Indian Women’s Press Corps called for the withdrawal of the police case.
The Press Club of India condemned the filing of the police case and termed it as “a strong-arm tactic by the state government which amounts to intimidation of the apex media body of the country”. In a statement, the Press Club of India stated that the police have invoked Section 66A of the Information and Technology Act even though the provision has been struck down by the Supreme Court.
“On multiple occasions, the apex court has directed that nobody should be prosecuted under the provision. The entire issue revolves around the role of the media, and it is evident that the Editor’s Guild did a commendable job by sending a fact-finding team to check the ground situation and information which are being suppressed,” the statement said.
Press Club of India strongly condemns lodging of a police case against 3 members of a fact-finding committee of the Editors Guild of India and its president on the media coverage of the ethnic clash and violence in Manipur. pic.twitter.com/s4ZdokGOXo
— Press Club of India (@PCITweets) September 4, 2023
“This is a strong-arm tactic by the state government which amounts to intimidation of the apex media body of the country. At a time when violence-marred Manipur needs utmost attention of the government, such a move by the state government would only make the matters worse and would be seen as a deliberate attempt to suppress the truth. It is a case of shooting the messenger rather than taking measures to restore peace in the state,” the press body added.
DIGIPUB’s statement condemning the FIR against the Editors Guild of India. pic.twitter.com/25mwvPUn9J
— DIGIPUB News India Foundation (@DigipubIndia) September 4, 2023
Reacting to the actions taken by the Manipur government, DIGIPUB News India Foundation, an organization of digital news publishers, said: “The report also rightly flagged that the internet ban in Manipur made it difficult for reporters to do their work, and critical channels for communication must be kept open for both citizens and journalists. DIGIPUB demands the government of Manipur to refrain from shooting the messenger and the case against the Editors Guild be immediately voided.”
