IRB havildar threatens to shoot him for refusing diktat
IMPHAL, February 11: A senior journalist of Imphal Free Press and Standing Committee member of the All Manipur Working Journalist Union (AMWJU) has been humiliated and brutally assaulted late last night near the Northern gate of Kangla by personnel of the 1st IRB (Whisky 8) for not complying with their diktat.
The journalist was not only subjected to ill treatment but also threatened to be shot at by the IRB personnel.
The victim journalist is identified as A Chaoba alias Dhananjoy Sharma.
The incident occurred last night around 11.30 when Chaoba was returning home from work along Hatta Minuthong side towards Khuyathong road.
He was flashed with a torchlight from the right side suddenly by some IRB personnel.
As he could not brake immediately, he stopped at a distance and went to the security personnel who asked him from where he was coming from. In response to the query he replied that he was coming from office.
The IRB personnel asked Chaoba to lie down on the ground face forward which he refused to comply with their diktat.
Owing to which the IRB personnel asked his occupation. Chaoba identified himself as a senior reporter of Imphal Free Press.
However, the commander of the IRB, Md Mujibur Rahman, boasted that he was a close relative of Agriculture minister, Md Nasir and not scared of anyone.
Soon after that Chaoba was accosted and physically assaulted. The commander then hit the reporter with his radio set and subsequently Chaoba, tried to ward off the attack but a blow tore his left eyebrow.
Chaoba was detained with blood dripping over his face, however, he was administered first aid by putting a band aid by one of the personnel. His two mobile phones were also seized by the IRB personnel.
Chaoba was threatened by the IRB team that if he made any complaint, he would be shot dead. Later, some Imphal West personnel came and took Chaoba to Raj Polyclinic where he was treated.
Chaoba was released after his editor K Nilamani came to the Imphal Police Station.
At the Imphal Police station, the editor made a shocking discovery that the IRB team call the police station on their set informing that they have caught a thief.
Meanwhile, the AMWJU and the media community of the stated that they took the matter seriously and consider it as an attack on the media and its freedom.
AMWJU further considered the incident an attempt by the personnel to restrain the good relations between the present government, in general and police department in particular and the media community.
AMWJU further appealed to the authority concerned to register a case against the IRB personnel involved in assaulting the senior journalist and book those involved as per the law of the land.