FIR against Editors’ Guild members over Manipur report, PCI slams ‘strong arm tactic’ of Biren govt

 In Imphal, CM accused members of the Editors' Guild of trying to create more clashes. Leadership of state had become partisan during the conflict, a fact-finding team had found.

In Imphal, CM accused members of the Editors' Guild of trying to create more clashes. Leadership of state had become partisan during the conflict, a fact-finding team had found.

NEELAM PANDEY, The Print, 04 September, 2023, New Delhi: The police have lodged a case against a fact-finding team and the president of the Editors’ Guild of India for “trying to create more clashes in the state”, Manipur Chief Minister N. Biren Singh said Monday.

Senior journalists Seema Guha, Sanjay Kapoor and Bharat Bhushan, who were part of the fact-finding team, and the Editors’ Guild of India president (Seema Mustafa) were mentioned as accused in the FIR.

The IPC sections invoked in the FIR deal with offences ranging from promoting enmity between groups and hurting religious sentiments, among others.

The fact-finding team was in Manipur from 7 August to 10 August to look into the media’s reportage of the ethnic violence. In its report submitted Saturday, the team said it had found that the “leadership of the state” had become “partisan during the conflict”.

“An FIR has been filed against the members of the Editors’ Guild (acting on a complaint) who are trying to create more clashes in the state of Manipur,” Biren Singh said in Imphal at a press briefing.

He also criticised the team for allegedly not reaching out to all the affected sections and communities in the state. “If you want to do something, please come and visit the spot, see the ground reality, meet the representatives of all communities and then publish what you found. Otherwise, meeting some sections only and coming to a conclusion that is disservice, that is highly condemnable,” Singh said.

The Manipur chief minister further questioned who formed the fact-finding committee and who authorised them.

ThePrint reached out to Editors’ Guild of India president Seema Mustafa through calls and text for a comment. This report will be updated when a response is received.

The Press Club of India (PCI), meanwhile, issued a statement condemning the move and demanded that the FIR be withdrawn immediately.

“Press Club of India strongly condemns lodging of filing a police case against three members of a fact finding committee of the Editors Guild of India and its President on the media coverage of the ethnic clashes and violence in Manipur,” the PCI statement said.

While the PCI’s statement mentioned that Section 66A of the IT Act was invoked even though the provision was struck down by the Supreme Court, the Manipur CMO told ThePrint that it was removed from the FIR.

“On multiple occasions, the apex court has directed that nobody should be prosecuted under the provision. The entire issue revolves around the role of the media, and it is evident that the Editor’s Guild did a commendable job by sending a fact-finding team to check the ground situation and information which are being suppressed,” PCI president Umakant Lakhera said.

“This is a strong arm tactic by the state government which amounts to intimidation of the apex media body of the country. At a time when violence-marred Manipur needs utmost attention of the government, such a move by the state government would only make the matters worse and would be seen as a deliberate attempt to suppress the truth. It is a case of shooting the messenger rather than taking measures to restore peace in the state,” he asserted.

In its report, the fact-finding team had found that journalists of Manipur wrote “one-sided reports” during the ethnic violence.

“In normal circumstances, they would be cross-checked and monitored by their editors or chiefs of bureaus from the local administration, police and security forces. However, this was not possible during the conflict,” the report said.

“There are clear indications that the leadership of the state became partisan during the conflict. It should have avoided taking sides in the ethnic conflict but it failed to do its duty as a democratic government which should have represented the entire state,” it added.

Also Read: Manipur conflict: Mary Kom writes to Amit Shah, urges him to protect her community 

Error in photo caption

Imphal-based social worker N. Sarat Singh had filed the first information report (FIR) against the three members and the Editors’ Guild of India president. 

The FIR has been registered under Sections 153A (promoting enmity), 200 (corruptly uses or attempts to use as true any such declaration, knowing it to be false), 295 (defiling place of worship with an intent to insult religion, 298 (uttering, words, etc., with deliberate intent to wound the religious feelings of any person), 505 (1) (statements conducing to public mischief), and 499 (defamation) of IPC. 

“I am a social worker and have been working locally to bring peace and help the people stranded in the different relief camps in the State of Manipur during the volatile situation in the State of Manipur. It has come to my knowledge today i.c. 3rd September, 2023 the accused No. 4 has published a report dated 2nd September, 2023 in the name and style of “Report of the fact finding mission on Media’s reportage of the ethnic Violence in Manipur*,” the complaint said.  

“It is also stated that the above report was made by the accused Nos. 1, 2 and 3. I am filing the above complaint as the report made by the accused are false, fabricated, sponsored and the accused has committed the offences,” it added.  

Sarat Singh further stated that in the fact-finding report a picture has been shown at page no. 5 of the report under the caption “Smoke rises from a kuki house on 5 May,”. The said “photo is the office of the forest beat officer at Mata Mualtam Village, Churachandpur Village,” the complainant said. 

On Sunday, the Editor’s Guild had clarified on social media that the error in the caption would be rectified and expressed regret for it.

(Edited by Tony Rai)

In Imphal, Manipur CM N. Biren Singh said that fact-finding team should have met representatives of all communities before coming to a conclusion | Twitter | @manipur_cmo