AMN / WEB DESK
The Manipur government has filed an FIR against the president and three members of the Editors Guild of India (EGI) for incorrect and biased reports on media coverage of the present crisis in the State.
Briefing media persons today at CM Secretariat Imphal, Chief Minister N. Biren Singh came out strongly against the fact-finding team of the Editors Guild of India (EGI) and said that an FIR has been lodged against Seema Guha, Sanjay Kapoor, Bharat Bhushan, and the president of the Editors Guild of India Seema Mustafa, for submitting the false report.
He added that the fact-finding committee members of the EGI did not meet representatives from both communities (Meiteis and Kukis) and came to an ‘incorrect conclusion. He further said that the Union Home Minister Amit Shah had spoken in Parliament highlighting the complexity of the present crisis in the State. Despite this, some vested interest groups are sending their fact-finding teams which are issuing reports that could further fuel the crisis, he added.
The Chief Minister said that the Committee led by retired Chief Justices under the supervision of the Supreme Court and Central Government have already initiated their investigations to find the root cause of the issue. Meanwhile, the Editors Guild of India is acting in a sub-judice manner to further fuel the crisis.
The apex body of the Journalists of Manipur – All Manipur Working Journalists Union (AMWJU) and Editors Guild Manipur (EGM) yesterday also issued a press statement condemning the report of EGI and alleged that the report is compiled on hearsay and incorrect facts and figures. They said that EGI’s report mentioned that the three news bulletins of Kuki dialects of Akashvani Imphal had been cancelled from the 3rd of May which is totally baseless and false. He also highlighted another fact-finding team of a political party that had termed the crisis to be State-sponsored.
The Editors Guild of India, yesterday, released a report of its ‘Fact-Finding Mission on Media’s Reportage of the Ethnic Violence in Manipur’ which accused the State leadership of being partisan.
“There was an error in a photo caption in the report released on Sep 2. The same is being rectified and updated report will be uploaded on the link shortly. We regret the error that crept in at the photo editing stage” EGI said.
Press Club of India strongly condemned lodging of a police case against 3 members of a fact-finding committee of the Editors Guild of India and its president on the media coverage of the ethnic clash and violence in Manipur.
