Heated argument between media persons and BSF
Source: Hueiyen News Service
Imphal, June 10 2013:
Media persons who were on duty for covering the Assembly Session had a heated argument with personnel of Border Security Force (BSF) guarding the State Assembly Complex over the manner of frisking at the entrance gate on the first day of 5th Session of 10th Manipur Legislative Assembly here today.
The media persons began to line up at the western entrance gate of the Assembly Complex from 9.30 am onwards.
The BSF personnel made all entrants including security staffs of Assembly stand in only one queue amidst scorching heat under the Sun.
The checking and verification process of the entrants were not completed till 10.30 am.
Some senior journalists complained to one BSF officer about the delay and urged him to expedite the checking process by dividing the single queue in two.
However, the officer mocked at the media persons telling them to come from 8 am onwards to avoid the rush.
Senior reporter of All India Radio BB Sharma lashed out at the officer saying that such a way of frisking was not done even in the Parliament.
The BSF officer then quietly divided the single queue into two soon after the argument.
The media persons raised the issue to Speaker Th Lokeshwar after the session.
He said that the BSF has been entrusted to guard the Assembly Complex, but he would advise them to conduct the frisking and verification at the entrance gate in three queues.
The media persons also complained to the Speaker about the Press Gallery from where the Members of the House could not be seen properly due to glass partitions and also lack of space for keeping notebooks on the chairs provided in the Gallery.