The journalists and editors of Manipur challenged the perception that the Editors Guild of India (EGI) was a national forum of editors. Two major local media bodies have challenged the EGI over its fact-finding report on the ongoing ethnic conflicts in Manipur and it only reflected that the editor’s club may not have representative in all States of India.
Founded in 1978 with objectives to protect press freedom and raise the standard of editorial leadership for newspapers and periodicals in the largest democracy on earth, the EGI today faces allegations of possessing biased observation as well as flaring up turmoil in Manipur with its initiative. Even the guild had to approach the Supreme Court of India for instant relief to its members, who were the part of a fact-finding mission to Manipur and subsequently faced two police complaints. The team members along with EGI president were extended interim protection from any coercive action till 11 September.
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The EGI’s report, which was released on September 2, was based on a four-day visit to Manipur by a three-member team. The report found that the local media coverage of the conflicts was biased in favor of the majority Meitei community, and that the state authorities had played a partisan role. The report also criticized the internet ban that was imposed in Manipur during the conflicts.
“There is a Meitei government, Meitei police and Meitei bureaucracy in Imphal and the tribal people have no faith in them,” stated the EGI report.
The EGI’s report was strongly condemned by the All Manipur Working Journalists Union (AMWJU) and the Editors Guild Manipur (EGM). The two organizations have accused the EGI of making “false and misleading” allegations against the local media. They have also called for the EGI to withdraw its report and to apologize to the Manipuri people.
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In a joint statement by the two influential media bodies claimed that the EGI report has many contentions and wrong representations which are damaging to the reputation of the media fraternity of Manipur, especially the Imphal-based news outlets.
Soon two police complaints were lodged against the EGI’s fact-finding team members (Seema Guha, Bharat Bhushan and Sanjay Kapoor) along with their president Seema Mustafa citing various IPC sections for ‘provoking enmity’ between different communities and deliberate attempts to flare up religious sentiments. The FIRs were reportedly filed by Ngangom Sarat Singh (a retired government engineer turned social worker) and Sorokhaibam Thoudam Sangita, a resident of Imphal. Sangita even urged the government to request for a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe into the case. She argued that only a high level probe can unearth various elements associated with the process. The use of terms like Meitei police or Meitei media was very unfortunate and condemnable, stated Sangita, adding that after release of the EGI report situation turned more tense and it indirectly created more troubles in the State.
Pointing out that the EGI team was crowdfunded, Sangita asserted that the people of Manipur should know who contributed money for the initiative. She stated that the EGI on 26 July asked for donations to organize the fact-finding mission to Manipur through its social media account.
Earlier, Manipur chief minister N. Biren Singh strongly condemned the EGI report on media coverage of the turmoil that gripped the State since 3 May. He even questioned the neutrality and intellectual capacity of the EGI members and drew many fault lines while summarizing many issues abruptly. Condemning the incident where two women were physically attacked by a mob (video of which went viral on social media), Singh added that a group of Meitei women rescued the victims and shifted to a safer place.
Talking about some media reports where it was described that one certain spokesperson of Kuki Inpi threatened Meiteis to avoid coming to Moreh without a permanent solution to the present crisis and many Tamil families in the border town were insisted to pay illegal tax for their survival, Singh warned that the government will not allow such activities. He also added that an FIR has been lodged against the concerned person.
It’s understood that the EGI team, which went to Manipur to study the role of local media outlets in reporting the ethnic conflicts, stepped beyond its mandate to analyze the causes of ethnic violence in the State. It even quoted an unidentified Kuki individual who alleged that the Imphal-based journalists took dictations from the chief minister’s office. Moreover, the EGI report criticized the Union government for not imposing President’s rule in Manipur after dismissing the BJP-led government.
The EGI’s case is a complex one, and there are no easy answers. However, it is important to have a public discussion about the role of the media in reporting on sensitive issues. Only by having a robust and open debate can we ensure that the media can continue to play its vital role in a democracy.