AMWJU, EGM condemn assault on scribe
Source: Chronicle News Service
Imphal, February 27 2024:
All Manipur Working Journalists' Union and Editors' Guild Manipur (EGM) have strongly condemned the assault on Image TV journalist Kumar Nongthombam.
In a joint release, the scribes' bodies recounted that 39-year old Kumar of Huikap Mayai Leikai but presently residing in a rented house at Wangkhei was dragged out by unknown armed miscreants from his room on the intervening night of February 23 and 24 and beaten up.
After intense search by his journalist colleagues, Kumar was handed over to them by two members of a CSO.
The joint release further said that the rented quarter where Kumar stayed with two other students was also set ablaze.
However, the students were not in the house as they were appearing in an examination.
In the arson art, Kumar's monthly salary, laptop, camera and important documents of the two students along with other items were all reduced to ashes.
According to Kumar, the perpetrators broke into his room and started beating him.
Despite claiming that he is a journalist by showing ID card issued by DIPR, his card was thrown into the fire.
After dragging his out from the room, he was blindfolded and taken to another location, where he was thrashed by those who came into the room one after another.
Later, battered Kumar was found by journalists and taken to Raj Medicity, the joint release informed.
While pointing out that several journalists have suffered similar fate but remained silent after issuing a condemnation note considering it as a professional hazard, the joint release maintained that the assault on Kumar, however, cannot be considered as a professional hazard.