IMPHAL, May 26: The All Manipur Working Journalist Union president Wangkhemcha Shyamjai said that the union is boycotting the Regional Institute of Medical Sciences, accusing the RIMS media advisor Iboyaima Laithangbam of verbally abusing a reporter.
Addressing the media, the AMWJU president said the reporter had gone to the hospital to seek information about a protest, wherein RIMS woman employees were to wear black badges, when the media advisor threw a flurry of abuses.
Soon after the reporter made a complaint to the union, an emergency meeting of the union’s Standing Committee was held, and decided that AMWJU will totally boycott RIMS and not allow publication of any clarification from the hospital authorities, press conferences, developmental works, functions related to RIMS, unless the media advisor Iboyaima Laithangbam is terminated, he said.
Wangkhemcha Shyamjai said, Iboyaima Laithangbam who is a former member and former vice president of the union had been abusive against the reporter saying “the uneducated media persons of the State has created the present issue at RIMS.”
He observed that the issue is of grave concern, as Iboyaima laithangbam was not only abusing the reporter alone or just one media firm, but was abusing the whole media fraternity of the State.
It is really unfortunate that someone who has served as a vice president of the AMWJU could utter such irresponsible words to a reporter who was only carrying out his duties, he said.