Media in Chains in Manipur
The media which is a mirror of society has been broken into shards by the the guns of millitants in Manipur. The newspapers were missing from their usual stands in Manipur following threats and counter threats by rival factions of rebel organisation PREPAK over publication of a statement. According to the All Manipur Working Journalists Union the media was torn over a decision to publish a statement which a faction of the PREPAK wanted to publish while another opposed and threatened to react violently if published.
The journalists fearing for their lives sought safety in the Imphal Press clubs instead of their homes for fear of persecution. But this is not unusual in manipur as earlier also Imphal based publications went off the stands as a protest against threats from these same organisation. As a result the newspaper offices had halted their proceedings on September 1 for five days. Finally the strike was adjourned after a meeting took place between the newspaper owners and journalists where they decided not to publish any critical statements related to these warring factions. The state government too has been trying to prohibit the press from publishing news of militant groups.
Freedom of the press has been totally annihilated in Manipur. The wings of the media which echoes the good the bad and the ugly of society has been clipped in Manipur. The press should be left alone in the feuds of any kind of organisation as it has the important job of informing the public of every activity and it is ultimately the public who has to decide on a plan of action. Though the media has a role to reform as well as inform it has to do so according to the parameters of society sometimes restraining and sometimes highlighting social issues but never titillating. But its our duty to keep faith in it and not curb it.
Photo: All Manipur Working Journalist Union (AMWJU) organizing an emergency general body meeting following the threat from a valley base UGs to journalist regarding a factional issue publication at Manipur Press club, Imphal on 11-10-07. Pix by UB Photos.
Random Stories
25 Mar 2018 - 8:29pm |
AT News
Kokrajhar, Mar 25: An unidentified body strikes no less sensation in Kokrajhar after it was recovered at Chakrashila forest area in Choraikola in on Sunday.According to police, local...
7 Jun 2014 - 8:29pm |
AT News
Chief minister Tarun Gogoi on Saturday evoked sharp criticism a day after Hamren SP Nityanand Goswami and his PSO Ratul Nunisa were killed at an encounter in Karbi Anglong district.
Talking to...
24 Feb 2019 - 11:53am |
AT News
JORHAT: The ghost of spurious liquor continues to haunt the state after it claimed 150 lives in Jorhat and Golaghat districts from Friday. Around 137 others are still battling to survive at Jorhat...
7 Nov 2011 - 5:33pm |
Arindam Garg
Eli baidew was impeccably dressed in a Mekhala Chadar. It was late evening as I walked into her apartment. Eli baidew (Eli Ahmed) was waiting for me after completion of a discussion on a new play. As...
Other Contents by Author
Cine star Sanjay Dutt popularly known as Munna bhai was sentenced to six years of rigorous imprisonment for the 1993 serial blasts case by a special court in Mumbai on July 31. The curtains came down on the 13 year long trial with a sobbing Sanju baba pleading for leniency but Judge PD Kode of the TADA court cancelled Dutt’s bail plea citing that his acts were “eminently dangerous” and showed a “high element of criminality”. It is said that Justice delayed is Justice denied and justice was definitely denied to Sanjay Dutt which came a calling thirteen years after his alleged crime of illegally possessing an AK-56. No doubt that possession of Arms is illegal...
The war of words rising out of the illegal migrants issue between the AASU and the AMSU is heating up by the day and the chances are that this development may push the real issue behind and turn into a political war of words. These organizations should take concrete steps by motivating the people and making them realize the consequences of the exodus of people into our territories from Bangladesh. They should leave aside the religious issues for this is not a religious battle as the Assamese people are a secular lot. This is evident in the peaceful coexistence of all religions here since decades but the continuous influx of Bangladeshis irrespective of their religious bent is causing great...
It’s happening again! With the persistent fury of the rain gods many parts of Assam is reeling under flood waters for the umpteenth time. Year in and year out we witness the damage and destruction that the flash floods and monsoon rains bestow upon us and we can do little but watch in helpless horror. The relentless downpour in the hills as well as the plains of neighboring Arunachal Pradesh has made the Brahmaputra and its tributaries flow above the danger mark putting many at risk. Meanwhile the continuing rain in Bhutan has caused massive erosion on the western banks of the Aie river right from Daosri to Dhaligaon in the North of NH-31©. Frequent breaches in the embankment...
Assam is a cauldron of violence at present . No amount of talks, prayers, or security measures is going to take away this epithet from Assam. Rebel groups were, are and will always continue the dance of death in our mother land whether we like it or not. The wellbeing of the subjects of Assam are of no concern to any extremist group as all of them are busy in achieving individual aims at the cost of the people and making them pawns in their dirty politics. After all the goal of every group is to procure the ruling chair and when one group comes overground when their aims are achieved a new dissident group will take their place. Bomb blasts have become a daily affair in our lives if not...
The recent spurt in crime and violence in the state is a danger signal and needs to be curbed with immediate effect. There is an alarming rate of dacoities where single elderly people have been targeted resulting in their death in many cases. Kidnappings are on the rise with murdered FCI official P C Ram, Cement Corporation of India’s mining engineer KN Jha who died of cardiac arrest while in captivity and junior engineer with PWD Ajay Deka being the newest victims. The statistics of abductions in the state in the year 2006 are staggering where a total of 303 adult males and 460 adult females were abducted of which 274 males and 384 females were recovered. Moreover there were a...
The use of Muga and eri silk is quite closely associated with the culture of Assamese society and occupies a unique place in the socio economic life of the people of Assam. It is not possible to ascertain correctly the exact nature of how weaving was first introduced in Assam but in the olden days every Assamese house reverberated with the shuttles of looms and each and every women of Assam knew the art of weaving. Men folk in those days only wore those clothes which were woven by their mothers, wives or sisters. This may be attributed to the patriotic bent of the people of Assam in olden days and also deliberate measure by the government at that time for it was obligatory on the part of...
Racism is a belief or doctrine that differences in physical appearance between people (such as those upon which the concept of race is based) determine cultural or individual achievement, and usually involves the idea that one's own 'race' is superior. Indians the world over have experienced racism in various forms sometimes or the other. The East India company during its hold over India had rampantly practiced racial discrimination and looked upon indians with suspicion and hatred. If we delve into thepages of History it appears that as an ideology, racism first appeared during early modern Europe in Spain during the Reconquista, and then during the 19th century, where “...
India’s Northeast is a rainbow land blessed by nature’s bounty. Its colourful, it’s mysterious and it boasts of a medley of diverse people. The northeast is an ethno cultural frontier, encompassing much of India’s rich but lesser known mongoloid heritage; a transition zone of linguistic, racial and religious strains. The states of Assam, Nagaland, Meghalaya, Manipur, Mizoram, Tripura and Arunachal Pradesh are the seven states that constitute the northeast. They are also known as the seven sisters. All these states were parts of a single mother state—Assam. The hill tribes of the northeast are different from their counterparts in other states. They form...
The timeless beauty of the Taj Mahal- the symbol of love has defied the vagaries of time. This 17th century marble mausoleum built by emperor, Shah Jehan in memory of his beloved queen Mumtaj Mahal is the epitome of Mughal architecture and also pride of every Indian. The Taj tells the story of love grief and immortality that is carved in ancient art. And therefore it is s no surprise that the Taj was included into the new list of Seven Wonders of the World. The announcements were made in a packed Benfica Stadium in Lisbon where the Taj was declared as one of the seven wonders. In a colourful ceremony in the Portuguese capital Lisbon to coincide with the date 07.07.07, Bollywood star...
In an age when we are trumpetting the cause of woman emancipation, holding forth the cause of the girl child, talking about eqality of gender, the ugly blot of dowry deaths annihilate all the tall claims of suh high profile issues. Apparently these find primacy only in rhetoric rather than in reality. Bride burning , atrocities on women etc were maladies that had afflicted other parts of the country especially the northern parts iof India but slowly these have penetrated into the Assamese society as well. Earlier Assam was the only state which was untouched by the dreaded disease of dowry but today it has raised its ugly head even in our own society. A survey recently exposed that a few...
Comments
Pages
Add new comment