AMWJU, EGM belittle EGI's fact-finding report
Source: Chronicle News Service

Imphal, September 03 2023: All Manipur Working Journalists' Union (AMWJU) and Editors' Guild Manipur (EGM) have vehemently rejected the recently released fact-finding report by the Editors' Guild of India (EGI), calling it a "half-baked so-called fact-finding report" completed in merely four days.

The state's scribe bodies asserted that the EGI report is riddled with contentions and misleading information that tarnishes the reputation of the journalist community in Manipur, particularly the Imphal-based news outlets.

AMWJU and EGM contended that the report, despite claiming not to investigate the origins of the issue, appears to do so in a seemingly biased manner, ultimately making several factual errors on the part of EGI, as expected.

AMWJU and EGM listed out some key points of contention:
Initiators of Riots: The EGI report alleges that Meiteis were the instigators of the riots on May 3.This assertion is surprising as how the three-member team of EGI was able to establish the findings in just four days, given that a Supreme Court-appointed fact-finding committee has been investigating the same matter since August 7,2023, and has not yet been able to draw a conclusion.

Hill Area Committee Act 1972: The EGI refers to a non-existent Hill Area Committee Act 1972 though there is no such act in existence and that claims of the state government flouting its provisions are false.

There are no recently declared "reserved forest" or "protected forest" and the last reserved forest declared in Manipur was in 1990 according to Manipur Forest Department records.

Evictions from Reserved Forests: Contrary to EGI's claims of such declarations were meant to evict Kuki villages, government records indicate that evictions from "reserved forests" and "protected forests" affected a diverse range of communities, including Kuki, Meetei, Meitei Pangal (Muslim), Naga, and Nepali houses.

From October 2015 to April 2023, 59 Kuki houses, 143 Meitei houses, 137 Meitei Pangal (Muslim) houses, 38 Naga houses and 36 Nepali houses -totalling 413 houses were evicted.

The EGI s fact-finding team did not even bother to confirm these data relevant authorities and instead chose to rely on hearsay.

Suspension of Operations Agreement: The EGI report asserts that the state government withdrew from the tripartite Suspension of Operations (SoO) agreement with the Kukis.

Although the chief minister N Biren did very brashly declared this abrogation with reference to two out of the 25 Kuki militant organisations in the SoO group in a cabinet meeting on March 10,2023, on the claim that these two were foreign organisations, this decision was never pursued and SoO agreement with all 25 groups is still intact, as confirmed by AMWJU and EGM.

The EGI again did not bother to crosscheck this before making its allegation. Kuki Women Video: In reference to the outrageous video of Kuki women being paraded naked, it seems EGI did not even confirm whether there were two or three women for the EGI report says two in some references and three in some other in the same breath.

It also says the younger woman was raped on video.

The 26-second video shows only two women, and there was no rape seen in the video, though groping was seen.

Parading and groping were bad enough and need to be condemned, but EGI chose to dra matise the tragic episode more than what was actually in the video to suit its motivated and skewed narrative.

Misidentified Burning Building: Again, in photo of a burning building, the caption in the EGI report identifies it is a Kuki house burning on May 5, but the fact is the burning building is the forest office at Maultam in Churachandpur district, torched by a Kuki mob on May 3, right in the middle of the ATSUM peace rally at about 12.15 pm.

Destruction of Kuki-Zo Properties: The EGI report also claims that on the night of May 3 there was total destruction of Kuki-Zo churches, houses and other properties in Meetei dominated areas.

This is false.

On May 3, riots in Imphal were very limited.

It was in the next few days that riots intensified and spread.

While there were indeed wide destructions of Kuki-Zo churches and properties in these riots, there are a great number of Kuki houses still standing in Imphal, and there were even 24 Kuki residents still living in New Lambulane, Imphal, till September 1, 2023, when the Assam Rifles decided to evacuate them in the wake of another wave of heightened tensions following gun battles in the foothills which began on August 29, 2023, in the border area of Churachandpur and Bishnupur.

Their properties are however still standing and intact.

Meira Paibis (Local Meitei Women): EGI report also says Meira Paibis (local Meitei, women) were without remorse after the viral video became public, or in other cases of mob atrocities.

This broad brush is again not true and very unfair.

Though there may have been some who had shown cruelty, it cannot be generalised.

It has to be noted these local women were also the ones who rescued the two women paraded naked, clothed them and escorted them to a nearby security post.

Cancellation of News Bulletins: EGI's claims that Thadou-Kuki, Paite and Hmar news bulletins of the AIR were cancelled from May 3.This is not true.

According to AIR Imphal records, while Paite and Hmar were dropped during May 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8, because of non-availability of internet access, Thadou-Kuki bulletin continued unhindered.

During May 9 and 10 these missing languages bulletins were read via telephone, but from May 11 onwards, all these language bulletins were on air as per schedule.

EGI Report Cover Photograph: The cover photograph of the EGI report itself also seems to be done with the intent to colour the readers' vision.

It shows the Wall of Remembrance in Churachandpur, which has no direct relation with the present crisis.

The intent seems to be to show the Kuki-Zo communities as endemically victimised.

Balance in Reporting: The EGI also is too ready to quote verbatim allegation against Imphal-based media by many interested parties, but fails to balance these charges with defences by AMWJU and EGM.

Government Influence on Media: It also claims most of the newspapers and news channels in the Imphal valley took dictations from the chief minister N Biren Singh's office.

This damaging charge is however not substantiated, and AMWJU and EGM would like EGI to prove this charge.

Ignored Material: Again, the EGI report has no reflection at all of all the materials supplied to them during the 2-hour meeting with AMWJU, EGM and MHJU representatives at the Manipur Press Club in Imphal.

Unreported Attacks on Journalists: The EGI report for instance is silent on the attack on reporters by Kuki villagers after they were invited by an Indian Army commander at Henjang village near the 57 Mountain Division headquarters at Leimakhong although they were briefed of this unfortunate incident in the same meeting.

Omitted Incidents of Violence and Threats: There are many more similar incidents of violence and threats faced by Manipur journalists but the EGI team ignored them all in their report.

Constraints on Reporting: AMWJU and EGM do acknowledge there were shortcomings in its reportage of the events in the state, but these were because of unavoidable constraints, such as lack of contact on account of the internet ban as well as the hard division of territories accessible to reporters belonging to the communities in conflict.

AMWJU and EGM also acknowledge there were silences maintained by the Imphal-based media on certain incidents too, but these were also self-censorships to avoid escalation of dangerous emotions among the warring parties.

Journalists on the other side of the current divide too would be facing the same constraints and compulsions, but the EGI does not seem to think so.

In light of the grave misrepresentations of Imphal based journalists community in the EGI report, AMWJU and EGM urge the EGI to issue a clarification or potentially face a legal damage suit.

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