Congress condemns arrest of two editors in Manipur

Congress strongly deplores arrest of two vernacular newspaper editors in Manipur, demands immediate release.

The Congress on Sunday strongly deplored the reported arrest of two editors of vernacular newspapers in Manipur and demanded their immediate release.

In a statement, Congress's media and publicity department head Pawan Khera said that in yet another crackdown on press freedom, two editors from two language newspapers had been arrested by the Manipur government.

On December 31, 2023, the “BJP-controlled police” arrested Wangkhemcha Shyamjai, the editor of vernacular daily Kangleipaki Meira, for allegedly publishing “provocative news”, Mr. Khera said.

On January 5, the Manipur Police also arrested the editor of Meitei language newspaper Hueiyen Lanpao, Dhanabir Maibam, for "promoting enmity on the ground of religion and race", the Congress leader said.

In a joint statement, the All Manipur Journalists' Union, of which Mr. Shyamjai was former chief, and the Editors Guild Manipur (EGM) condemned his arrest and demanded his immediate release, Mr. Khera pointed out.

"The Indian National Congress strongly deplores the arrest of the editors of reputable vernacular newspapers. We firmly believe that journalists should be allowed to pursue their professional duties without fear of intimidation, especially when reporting on matters of public interest," Khera said.

"We firmly endorse the objections raised by All Manipur Working Journalists Union (AMWJU), Editors Guild Manipur (EGM) and the Paomi Welfare Foundation," he said in his statement.