Source: Hueiyen News Service
Imphal, August 25 2009:
Police commandos today allegedly hurled a smoke bomb shell toward a group of scribes at Wangkhei while they (scribes) were not happy with the dealing of a team of another police commando team towards them yesterday at Tidim road.
Taking serious note to the disturbances given to the scribes on duty despite repeated appeal to the authority, All Manipur Working Journalists Union drew the attention of the government to give the police commando personnel strict instruction not to repeat the same in the future.
Today, Imphal east police commandos on duty at Wangkhei area hurled a smoke shell towards a group of reporters who were there for covering agitations of the people there in connection with the July 23 fake encounter and demanding resignation of the chief minister.
No injury to the reporters facing the police alleged attack occurred.
The incident was after Imphal west police commandos led by an officer detained and treated with unpleasant attitude to a group of reporters travelling together in a van yesterday along the Tidim road with their weapons pointing towards them.
Reporters were travelling on the Tidim road for the coverage of events related with the people agitations witnessing in the state in the aftermath of the exposure of the July 23 alleged fake encounter.
Since the eruption of the people agitations after the exposure of the July 23 shooting incident as fake encounter, at many occasions, police are harassing reporters and giving hindrance in discharging duties by using unpleasant words.
In this regard, scribes body have held talks with the high level officials of police and requested not to give any kinds of disturbances to the scribes in discharging their duty.
But despite the urgent the same is continuing, the All Mainpur Working Journalists' Union observed.
Further assuming that the same attitudes towards the scribes are likely to continue in the day to come asked the top officials of the police department to give strict instruction not to repeat the attitude once again, a statement of the AMWJU, signed by its joint secretary, L Bijoy expressed.