All about media, society and police

Thoudam Imomacha Singh *

AMWJU memorandum condemning thrashing of media persons by police commandos near Hueiyen Lanpao office on August 18 2015 :: Pix - Shankar Khangembam

The present day role of the media is to develop a system of communication in a civil society. In short, the civil societies all over the globe today, depend on communication and information that they receive as well as dispatch.

Therefore, people working in a media establishment must be provided the liberty of free movement everywhere as much as it is practicable and also take part in the affairs of the civil society.

To be working in a media establishment is not only a matter of privilege, but a commitment to a social duty. Therefore, there is no reason for ill treatment to be meted out to a staff of any media establishment in the state of Manipur.

The recent assault on three media persons including Willar Leimapokpam of the Hueiyen Lanpao Publications on the evening of August 17 was deplorable.

Almost all the media community comprising newspaper editors, editors of other publications, columnists, photography journalists, broadcast journalists, lovers of journalisam, all the staff of the Media Houses and their propritors and the newspaper readers of the State in solidarity with the All Manipur Working Journalists Union (AMWJU) have condemned the brutal attack perpetrated by the gang of cops in no uncertain terms.

The state police chief and the districts police chiefs must be held responsible for such an atrocious act committed by those cowardly policemen, who went berserk sans reason.

The Deputy Chief Minister who also holds the porfolio of the Home Department Gaikhangam's gesture is significant and optimistic too. He is also to be applauded for the timely financial assistance provided to the victims of the dreadful episode.

Now, being himself a seasoned politician and a veteran administrator, it may be imperative that Gaikhangam looks into the murky characteristic of the State Police Force, so that the best attempt could be made to inculcate discipline into the personnel of the Force and also check their turpitude.

Unless it is done well in time, Manipur is at the brink of turning into a "Police Raj". In the process of grooming a Welfare State, which is the envy of all the right thinking citizens, the State Government has to take on the tainted cops in the department. But, things are always easier said than done.

Here, the writer would like to comment on the thought provoking submission rendered by none other than Dhiren A Sadokpam, the Editor of the Hueiyen Lanpao (English Edition) that the acrimonious attack on Willar Leimapokpam and two of his media colleagues right in front of the Hueiyen Lanpao Establishment at Thouda Bhabok Leikai, Imphal amounts to directly polluting the sanctity of the Media Domain.

Such forage on anybody's part is unpardonable. The charges labeled against the rowdy gang of policemen by the eye witnesses to the episode clearly reflect an attempt to homicide under Indian laws.

Now, here is a willful submission that that the writer would like to share with the Hueiyen Lanpao (English Edition) readers that the State Home Department must do a soul searching in its ambit so that things could be sorted out amicably for the betterment of the Department.

Those cops in the State Police Force, who have not learned any lesson on community policing should be suitably motivated on the same line. In today's world of communication revolution the media always play a pivotal role.

As such, no one is an untouchable. There is always scope for learning something positive and improve oneself. Our cops must be given education on subjects corresponding to humanism, social welfare, community service and media friendly paradigm.