IMPHAL, Dec 27 - Angry at planting of a hand grenade by a militant group at the office of a local newspaper, all newspaper editorials went blank on Tuesday, apart from organising a sit-in by journalists at Keishampat in Imphal to protest the incident.
Editorials in all newspaper were kept blank as a mark of protest following the bomb threat last evening at the office of Pandam, a vernacular evening news daily, located at Wahengbam Leikai. Journalists from all media houses in Imphal took part in the sit-in protest.
�We condemn the act of intimidation aiming to violate the press freedom,� said a journalist at the site while taking part in the protest demonstration.
The Editors� Guild Manipur (EGM) has condemned the incident in the strongest terms. Newspapers in Imphal will not hit the stands tomorrow (December 28) as all journalists stayed away from work today. Manipur newspaper houses often face such intimidation from different militant organisations, particularly on the issue of publication of their statements.
The editors� body said the incident has threatened the entire media fraternity. It held an emergency meeting shortly after the incident that occurred around 6 pm. To denounce it, the editors in the meeting unanimously decided to leave all editorials blank in protest in December 27 issue of all papers.
The journalists from all Imphal-based print and electronic media houses staged the demonstration from 10 am till 4 pm suspending their daily work.
Media reports said that the Kangleipak Communist Party-Military Council (KCP-MC) was behind the grenade threat against the editor of Pandam.
Our Imphal Correspondent adds: One of the cable TV networks has also stopped telecasting their usual news programs for the day.
Showing solidarity with the media fraternity of the State, many politicians, including the State unit presidents of the ruling Congress and opposition Bharatiya Janata Party, besides the former MLAs of both the parties, DIPR Director and a number of press reporters and correspondents turned up to take part in the sit-in demonstration which is aimed at safeguarding the freedom of press.