New Imphal/Delhi, 6 August 2024: The Indian Journalists Union condemns police action against two journalists, one in Manipur and another in national capital Delhi. Mutum Rameshchandra, a senior reporter with Impact TV News was assaulted by a sub-inspector while he was covering a rally by internally displaced people (IDPs) on 1 August in Imphal east district. In Delhi, Poonam Pandey, assistant editor of Hindi daily Navbharat Times was stopped and detained by the police while covering a demonstration by Mahila Congress workers near Kartya Path on 30 July. Both incidents not only smack of harassment but are a direct attack on press freedom, says the IJU, adding action must be taken against the police personnel.
Poonam said she was prevented by police from filming the protest with a black cloth and attempts were made to snatch her phone and was subsequently detained and put into a bus with the protestors. This despite her identifying herself as a journalist and showing her press ID. She also said that no female police officers were present during the incident, although female personnel from CRPF were involved in forcibly taking her phone and placing her on the bus.
In Manipur, Mutum said he was punched and kicked, and sustained injuries on his right chin. His phone was smashed, and he was also hit with a service weapon by the sub-inspector. The AMWJU, an affiliate of IJU and the Editors Guild of Manipur led a protest march from Manipur Press Club to Chief Minister Biren Singh’s bungalow and demanded an impartial inquiry into the incident and action be taken against the police officer.
In a statement, IJU President and former member, Press Council of India and Secretary General and IFJ Vice President Sabina Inderjit condemned the incidents saying that stopping and attacking journalists while they are carrying out their duties is becoming a rule rather than an exception. The targeting of journalists reveals sinister designs of governments who want to deny the citizens right to being informed. The media community, urged the leadership, must stand up against these assaults on the fourth pillar.
