Govt restricts use of Press' jackets, stickers
Source: Chronicle News Service
Imphal, September 12 2023:
The government of Manipur has ordered that to avoid any kind of unwanted incident in the near future, jackets/vests/stickers with wording/inscription 'Press' will be allowed for use by only those media persons, journalists, video-journalists possessing identity card/accreditation certificate issued by the Directorate of Information & Public Relations (DIPR), Press Bureau of India (PIB), All India Radio (AIR), Doordarshan (DD News) and recognised national and international media firms with immediate effect and until further orders.
In an order issued on Monday, commissioner (Home) T Ranjit Singh conveyed that the state government is aware about misuse of jackets, vest and stickers with wording/inscription 'Press' under the pretext of covering various incidents related to the ongoing law and order crisis in the state thereby creating situation of apprehension of high chance of misuse of such jackets, vests and stickers by anti-social miscreants and unauthorised' persons to get easy access to fringes/vulnerable areas and resorting to provocative acts or otherwise unethical/un-professional way of reporting incidents by unaccredited/unauthorised self-style persons/reports, which may prove to be counter-productive and adversarial, if left unwarranted without any check and balance.
The said situation also warrants the state government to take up immediate preventive and precautionary measures/ action to install a proper check and balance mechanism at the check points in and around the places/sites of violence to avoid any confusion amongst the general public and security agencies and also to avoid unethical/unprofessional way of reporting by non-accredited or unauthorised/self-styled reporters, by way of entry regulation in such areas/sites of violence, it added.
The order also directed that only persons allowed to use such jackets/vests/stickers with wording/inscription 'Press' will be permitted to enter the violence affected zone/ area for media reporting.
Any body found violating the said instructions/directions will be penalised/prosecuted under relevant laws of the land in force for the time being, without any exception, it cautioned.
The order further instructed all district magistrates, police and security agencies deployed for enforcing law and public order to take up appropriate necessary action for effective implementation of this order.