IMPHAL, December 11: The All Manipur Working Journalist Union (AMWJU) has decided to boycott the Manipur police from December 12 in protest against the failure of the police to book the culprits involved in the merciless assault on Laishram Kesonanda, a sub-editor of Poknapham Daily on December 8 around 6:45 pm at Babupara.
The decision was taken during a joint meeting of AMWJU and editors this afternoon at the Manipur Press Club.
The general secretary of the AMWJU, S Surjeswar Singh, in a statement said that as a part of the boycott, the journalist fraternity will not publish achievements of the police, press hand-outs/releases and cover news items participated by police. However security escorts has been relaxed from the purview of the boycott, it said.
In the second resolution, the meet agreed to boycott the SPF government from December 15 if the police fail to book the culprit by December 14 followed by boycotting of all the coalition partners of the SPF government by December 18, if the culprits are not booked within December 17.
The statement further asserted that the main culprit involved in the incident contacted AMWJU through one of its standing committee members today and was willing to bring a solution on the matter.
Following the contact made by the individual the joint meet was extended for two hours and invited him to appear during the meet on the pretext of hearing his version, it said.
However the meet had to go on and take the decision in his absence following his failure to turn up before the gathering, it asserted.
The general secretary further appealed the media persons discharging their duties to be alert and not to venture out alone within greater Imphal area, in the wake of threats from several armed groups.
