The All Manipur Working Journalists' Union (AMWJU), Editors' Guild Manipur (EGM) and Manipur Hill Journalists' Union (MHJU) have resolved to cease work and demonstrate protest against alleged harassment and intimidation meted out to AMWJU president Wangkhemcha Shamjai.
The bodies convened a joint emergency meeting at Manipur Press Club on Wednesday over the manner in which AMWJU president W Shamjai was summoned by the NIA and allegedly treated him like an accused person at its Imphal office on Tuesday.
Expressing shock and disappointment over the alleged harassment, the bodies adopted a resolution to hold a protest demonstration on Thursday to denounce the interference of the NIA with the media community.
The meeting also resolved to submit memoranda highlighting such painful episodes to the Union home minister, governor, Manipur chief minister, Press Council of India (PCI) and Indian Journalists' Union (IJU).
Later, the journalists submitted a memorandum to the governor, urging him to look into the matter and take necessary actions to ensure that the media fraternity is not further harassed by the NIA or any other investigating agencies in the future.
According to the unions, Shamjai received a phone call from an officer of NIA asking him to turn up at their office at 10 am on Tuesday.
With a clear mind to cooperate with the agency's investigation, Shamjai turned up on time. However, to his utter surprise, he was left in a small room without being interacted till one officer began interrogating him around noon. He was then hurled with uncomfortable and unrelated queries in another room.
According to Shamjai, he was also intimidated by the NIA sleuths during the interrogation that continued till around 5 pm, the bodies alleged.
They further said that such excesses of the NIA are an insult and a big challenge to the independence of the media.
