AMWJU decries
Source: The Sangai Express
Imphal, August 18 2015:
The All Manipur Working Journalists' Union has strongly condemned thrashing of three media persons by a team of Bishnupur district police commandos near Hueiyen Lanpao office last night.
In a memorandum submitted to the DGP, AMWJU threatened to launch intense agitation against the Police Department if necessary legal action are not initiated against the guilty police personnel within 48 hours and medical expenses of the injured newspaper staff are not compen- sated.
The memorandum said that Image monthly journal Managing Editor Johnson Mangang and reporter of the same journal, Ph Harish Sharma were rounded up by the commandos despite showing their press identity cards without giving any valid reason near Hueiyen Lanpao office at around 8.40 pm.
They came there to pick up the third victim, Willar Leimapokpam, a staff of Hueiyen Lanpao.
Willar came out of his office after he was informed by Johnson, who is his cousin brother, over the phone.
He saw his cousin and a friend were thrashed by police commandos who came in police Gypsy - BPR 20 .
Willar repeatedly identified himself as a staff of Hueiyen Lanpao and requested the commandos to leave the duo.
However, the commandos turned on him and beat up black and blue, the memorandum said.
Although, Willar suffered injuries on head, he was not immediately rushed to hospital.
Instead, he was taken to Imphal police station, where his mobile phone was snatched, the memorandum said.
After learning about the incident, scribes of Hueiyen Lanpao went to Imphal police station and rushed Willar to Raj Medicity, where he underwent multiple stitches on his head.
Later, AMWJU president Wangkhemcha Shamjai and vice-president Ratan Luwangcha also came to the hospital to inquire about the incident.
The memorandum said that AMWJU takes the merciless assault as an attack on the freedom of press.
As such, necessary legal action must be initiated against the guilty commandos within 48 hours counting from 6 pm of August 18, the scribes' body demanded.
The Government must also compensate the medical expenses of the three media persons, the memorandum said.