Manipur: Editor of local daily arrested for publishing ‘sensitive details’ granted bail

Imphal: The editor of a local newspaper in Manipur, who was arrested for publishing sensitive details in a report, was released on bail, an official said on Monday.
He was arrested on Friday and released on bail by a local tribunal on Sunday, he said.

“The editor, Dhanbir Maibam, had published delicate details in a report,” said the government official, speaking on condition of anonymity.

I remained in police custody till Sunday.

He was booked under several sections of the Official Secrets Act, which also provides for punishment for “promoting enmity for reasons of religion or race”, the official said.

The “Huyen Lanpao” report highlights some “developments” in Moreh city, which has seen an increase in firing between state forces and alleged Kuki terrorists, sources said.

Earlier, on December 28, another editor of a local language daily was also arrested for similar reasons and then released on bail.

The Congress, in a statement on Sunday, condemned the detention of the two editors and demanded their immediate release.

“The Indian National Congress expresses deep sorrow over the arrest of the editors of popular newspapers. We strongly believe that journalists should be allowed to perform their professional duties without any fear, especially when reporting on matters of public interest”, said Pawan Kheda, head of the party’s media and publicity department.

“The BJP government in Manipur has violated the freedom of the press by arresting journalists, making serious allegations and even banning them from the Editors Guild of India (EGI) when they tried to report honestly on the real image of the isolated state. Many attacks have been carried out. Due to fights. “, Kheda said in the statement.