NIA accused of intimidating Manipur journalist; scribe bodies write to Amit Shah

Journalist organizations in Manipur have condemned the National Investigation Agency (NIA) over "intimidation and mental harassment" meted out to its president, Wangkhemja Shamjai.

Today, the AMWJU, and fellow journalist organizations Editors’ Guild Manipur and Manipur Hill Journalists’ Union, wrote to Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Governor La Ganesan, the Press Council of India (PCI), and the Indian Journalists’ Union (IJU), expressing ‘strong resentment on such treatment meted out to Shamjai.

The organizations allege that Shamjai was summoned to the NIA office at 10 am on August 2, 2022.

According to Shamjai’s version of events, he was left alone in a room till around 12 noon when an official began interrogating him. 

The journalist says he was then hurled ‘with uncomfortable and unrelated queries’ in another room. Shamjai also alleges that he was also intimidated by NIA sleuths, who continued the interrogation until 5 pm in the afternoon.

Terming the alleged ‘excesses’ of the NIA as an ‘insult’, the scribe bodies urged Home Minister Shah and Ganesan to ‘take necessary action to ensure that the media fraternity is not harassed by the NIA or any other investigating agencies in the future.’

It needs mention here that the AMWJU, EGM, and MHJU, today convened a meeting at the Manipur Press Club during which they decided to inform Amit Shah and Governor Ganesan about the matter. 

The scribe bodies have also called for an agitation tomorrow (August 4) to protest ‘the interference of the NIA with the media community.’

The NIA is yet to publicly respond to these allegations.