Dr Bimol slams Govt response on Gwaltabi incident
Source: Chronicle News Service

Imphal, May 30 2025: Lok Sabha MP Dr Angomcha Bimol Akoijam has strongly criticised the response of authorities over the recent harassment of journalists by security personnel near Gwaltabi village, stating that a delayed investigation and lack of political clarity have worsened the situation.

Taking to X on Thursday, the inner Manipur MP questioned the purpose of a press conference convened by the chief secretary a day after a written statement was already issued.

"What's the purpose of holding the press conference to read out the statement which was already issued the day before, just to read out?" he wrote.

The MP questioned the delay in fixing responsibility over the May 20 incident, in which journalists travelling to cover the Shirui Lily Festival were stopped and turned back by security forces allegedly objecting to the word "Manipur" on the Manipur State Transport bus they were travelling on.

"Before the appointed inquiry committee has not submitted its findings, if the authority is already in know of the fact that there's no 'instruction' from the higher-ups in the state or the Union government regarding the disturbing and avoidable incident, calling up the unit and battalion commanders on the ground is all that it takes to fix accountability," Dr Bimol stated.

"Do we really need weeks to do that?" .

He also raised questions about the political leadership's silence on the matter, asking whether "the state government" or the "responsible political leadership" had made any clarifications before the chief secretary's statement was made public.

In a separate post on May 28, the Congress MP called out what he termed a symbolic failure of governance, referring to the Governor's helicopter ride from Imphal airport to Raj Bhavan, a distance of just 7 km.

"This could be a Freudian slip that admitted the failure of the Government of India to deal with the Manipur crisis," Dr Bimol wrote, adding that the act may well be "an admission of guilt of its own complicity in creating and sustaining the tragedy to achieve its ill-conceived ends" .

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