Scribes suspend boycott, demand action over Gwaltabi incident
Source: Chronicle News Service

Imphal, June 21 2025: The All Manipur Working Journalists' Union (AMWJU) and Editors' Guild Manipur (EGM) have resolved to temporarily suspend their boycott of news related to the state government and security forces of both state and Centre operating in the state, following confirmation that the inquiry committee report on the Gwaltabi incident has been submitted to the authorities.

A joint statement of the two bodies said that in a joint emergency meeting held on Saturday, the two media bodies decided to temporarily suspend their protest.

The decision was taken in consideration of the public's right to information and the recent development surrounding the May 20 incident connected to the Shirui Lily Festival.

However, they reaffirmed their core demand that appropriate action must be taken against the persons responsible for the incident.

As a continued mark of protest, journalists will wear black badges while on duty and newspapers will publish protest slogans on their front pages until accountability is fixed and appropriate action is taken.

The decision came amid mounting frustration within the journalist community over the state government's silence even after one month of the incident.

On May 20, AMWJU and EGM had jointly submitted a memorandum to the Governor following a march, demanding that the government take immediate action in connection with the Gwaltabi incident, where journalists were harassed and obstructed.

Following the protest, the state government constituted an inquiry committee with a 15-day deadline to submit its findings.

The statement further informed that AMWJU and EGM have now confirmed that the final report of the inquiry was submitted to the chief secretary on June 16 .

Despite this, there has been no word from the government regarding its position or intended action based on the report's findings.

While acknowledging the temporary disruption in the flow of public information caused by the boycott, the two organisations expressed regret to the people.

The joint meeting resolved that future protest actions would depend on the response and action taken by the state government based on the contents of the inquiry report.

Comment