After one day's distribution of local newspapers on
Thursday, the paper boys have refused to deliver copies of newspapers at
homes; and the distributing agents to townships and other districts
from Friday following fresh threat from an underground organisation.
The
outfit had banned sale and distribution of the newspapers in
retaliation to the refusal by the editors to publish its press releases.
For six days the distributors and paper boys, who were also threatened
with killings, refrained from duty.
On Thursday, the
paper boys had delivered the copies, after a sit-in protest by the
scribes, a silent procession and meeting with the Chief Minister Okram
Ibobi Singh on Monday. Besides representatives of several NGOs and
women's organisations staged a sit-in protest urging the militants not
to interfere with the publication and distribution of the newspapers.
The militants had given death sentence in absentia to all the editors
and reporters for refusing to publish the press releases of the outfit.
On
Thursday the outfit informed the representatives of the All Manipur
Newspapers Sale and Distributors Association to come to Sekta, a remote
town for some "talks". The insurgents told them that the ban has not
been lifted. The way the paper boys had distributed newspaper copies
amounts to throwing gauntlet to them, the outfit warned.
The
All Manipur Working Journalists' Union, Editors' Committee and the All
Manipur Newspaper Sale and Distributors Association held an emergency
meeting at the press club on Thursday night to discuss the fresh threat.
After a protracted discussion it was decided that the paper boys shall
not distribute newspaper copies for their own safety till an agreement
is reached.
However, the editors and reporters
reaffirmed their stand to spike the press release since it has been a
policy not to entertain press releases of new outfits or factions of
underground organisations. They also decided to publish their newspapers
as usual and readers are free to buy their copies from the newspaper
offices. All newspapers blanked out this development in the threat
perception in Friday's edition of newspapers.
Meanwhile
the All Manipur Working Journalists' Union has thanked the Press
Council of India, Indian Journalists Union, International Federation of
Journalists, NE Federation of Journalists, Journalists Forum Assam and
others which had extended support and solidarity with the journalists in
Manipur at this juncture.
