Manipur News

Itanagar, Nov 10 (ANI): Taking strong exception to the unabated shameful attacks on media houses and media persons despite deployment of police personnel, members of Arunachal Pradesh Union of Working Journalist and Arunachal Press Club in a meeting here today unanimously decided to indefinitely ban carrying news and advertisement of All Arunachal Pradesh Public Transport Federation (AAPPTF).
The Arunachal Pradesh Union of Working Journalist and Arunachal Press Club expressing their strong resentment against the attack on Echo of Arunachal and its Associate Editor Tapan Kumar Das.
As a token of protest, both the organisations decided that all media houses, print and electronic, functioning from the Capital Complex would shut down on Monday and Tuesday.
A memorandum would be sent to Union Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde and Information and Broadcasting Minister Manish Tewari to draw their attention towards the atrocities repeatedly committed on the media persons of the state.
The same yardstick will apply for any organisations, associations, unions or political parties, if they try to intimidate or attack media house or journalist in the near future. Also, the meeting with editor or journalist in connection with submission of a press release is henceforth strictly prohibited and the press releases should be dropped in the press release box. The police personnel on duty will enforce that no one dare enter the news desk to create disturbance. If it happens, the cops on duty must be held responsible.
Later in evening, IGP Sanjay Baniwal and Superintendent of Police (SP) Surender Kumar invited media persons at latter’s office and assured early arrest of the culprits involved in the Echo of Arunachal attack case and deployment of armed police personnel at media houses.
Baniwal also assured to issue status report of Arunachal Times’ Associate Editor Tongam Rina attack case by Monday, and added that the case will be taken by over by CBI as soon all formalities are completed. He informed that such formalities take some time and therefore there has been some delay.
Arunachal Times’ office was vandalized on April 15 last, its Associate Editor Tongam Rina shot at in front of the office on July 15 last and other two staffs were attacked on September 11 night last.
The GoAP, particularly the police department, have given only ‘lip service’ without any result whatsoever to grant justice to the press fraternity of the state.
Against all odds, the press persons with meager salary continued to serve the society but regrettably they are rewarded with attacks and assaults that demoralize them in continuing in this profession. Enough is enough. It is high time the GoAP and the civil society should rise to the occasion and give freedom to the press for independent functioning.
Meanwhile, terming the attack on EoA office and its associate editor Das cowardice reflecting non-accommodative and undemocratic spirit, Arunachal Chamber of Commerce and Industries (ACCI) today called for as level playing field for the media to function independently.
The repeated attacks and intimidation of the media establishments and persons deserve condemnation from all quarters and the GoAP should take stringent action to bring an end to disturbance in public order.
“If this tribal society desires to prosper and grow, it has to respect the media and facilitate its unbiased functioning without any coercion for it to keep a tab on the three pillars of democracy – the executive, legislature and judiciary,” the ACCI said .

Read more / Original news source: http://manipur-mail.com/media-house-scribe-attacked-at-arunachal/