On Friday, All Manipur Working Journalists’ Union (AMWJU) and Editors’ Forum convened a meeting following repeated threats from KCP factions and passed a resolution not to publish any press release issued by KCP till November 27. It may be mentioned that the threats received by the media houses were part of the continuing impasse between the scribes and two rival factions of KCP- one led by Kesho and another by Sunil for the last one month. The impasse surfaced when both the factions dictated the media houses for not publishing their statements.
Following the confusion and focusing on the local model code of conduct framed by AMWJU, media houses decided not to entertain press statements of both factions which led to the threatening of scribes by Kesho faction. Recently, the Kesho faction came directly to the media houses and threatened to attack scribes if newspapers were published without carrying out their statement which led to the suspension of publication of the newspapers for three days. Further, media houses resumed publication of newspaper with the stance that they would fight all the challenges and government also assured security to all media houses.
Later, both the factions agreed to withdraw their threats. But fresh threats to scribes surfaced yesterday when a statement dispatched by Sunil faction was carried out by some media houses even though Kesho faction warned not to publish it.
Meanwhile, activists of the group once again intruded into some media houses along the Tidim road in Imphal and threatened to stop publication with immediate effect. They also showed smalls guns to the staff of the media houses and threatened to kill them.
~ NP
