Imphal, November 03 2009: The Editors Guild of India strongly condemned the increasing trend of mistreatment and life threatening abuse of journalists on the streets of Manipur by police commandos, especially when journalists are returning home late night from work.

The Guild is shocked that the police are not giving any respect for the accreditation cards issued by the State government to journalists, and instead abuse journalists as collaborators of insurgents, a statement jointly issued today by the Guild President Rajdeep Sardesai and Secretary General KS Sachidananda Murthy said.

Recounting that A Birjit of Kangla Pao and Priyo Achom of Image TV were stopped by commandos at a checkpost in the state capital Imphal on October 10 night, the Guild said 'ridiculing the identity cards displayed by the journalists, the commandos made a journalist to stand on his feet.

When the journalist refused, a gun was placed on the head with the policemen saying nobody would bother if a journalist is killed'.

On another occasion, Khelen Thokchom of The Telegraph was stopped and taunted by the security personnel that "journalists should not act tough as bullets do not differentiate journalists from others" .

The journalists of Manipur, who are already under tremendous pressure while discharging their journalistic responsibility in a state racked by insurgency, are being intimidated frequently by the state police, the Guild statement expressed and urged the government of Manipur to put a stop to the ill-treatment and threats to journalists by policemen, and take action against policemen who threatened A Birjit, Priyo Achom and Khelen Thokchom.

"Mere transfer of the abusive and violent commandos from their post is not the answer.

They must be held accountable for their threats to punish journalists with bullets.

This kind of a situation is unacceptable in a democracy which has enshrined the freedom of information in its Constitution.

Rogue policemen cannot and should not be allowed to roam the streets of Manipur" .

It may noted that journalists working in the state had resorted to boycott of development news item of the Government in protest against the assault.

However, after transfer of certain top police officials as well as those directly involved in the assault case, the scribes had decided to suspend the agitation.

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