Press bodies cry foul on FIR against Editor's Guild: Case of ‘shooting the messenger’

The Press Club of India (PCI) joined a number of industry bodies in condemning the filing of a police case against the Editor's Guild of India. This FIR was issued by the Manipur state government.

Terming it as 'a strong-arm tactic by the state government which amounts to intimidation of the apex media body of the country', the PCI condemned the FIR against three members of a fact-finding committee of the Editors Guild of India and its president on the media coverage of the ethnic clash and violence in Manipur.

In a statement issued on PCI’s Twitter handle (now X), the press body stated that the police have invoked Section 664 of the Information and Technology Act even though the provision has been struck down by the Supreme Court.
 

Press Club of India strongly condemns lodging of a police case against 3 members of a fact-finding committee of the Editors Guild of India and its president on the media coverage of the ethnic clash and violence in Manipur. pic.twitter.com/s4ZdokGOXo

— Press Club of India (@PCITweets) September 4, 2023

The statement reads, “On multiple occasions, the apex court has directed that nobody should be prosecuted under the provision. The entire issue revolves around the role of the media, and it is evident that the Editor's guild did a commendable job by sending a fact finding team to check the ground situation and information which are being suppressed.”

It further noted, “This is a strong arm tactic by the state government which amounts to intimidation of the apex media body of the country. At a time when violence-marred Manipur needs utmost attention of the government, such a move by the state government would only make the matters worse and would be seen as a deliberate attempt to suppress the truth. It is a case of shooting the messenger rather than taking measures to restore peace in the state.”

The body further demanded that the FIR against EGI President and the three members be withdrawn immediately. 

The Editors Guild, in a report published on 2 September, had slammed the internet ban in the state as being detrimental to media reportage, criticised what it termed as one-sided reporting by some media outlets and claimed there were indications that the state leadership 'had turned partisan' during the conflict period.

A three-member team of the EGI had visited Manipur to report on the media's reportage of the ethnic clashes in the state. The body had released the report of the Fact-Finding Mission on Media’s Reportage of the Ethnic Violence in Manipur on September 2.

On 4 September, the Manipur government filed a first information report (FIR) against four members of the Editors Guild of India (EGI) over the report that they had published on the ethnic clashes in the state. The FIR which was filed on the basis of a complaint by a social worker lists a range of offences including 66 A of the IT Act.

Chief Minister Biren Singh held a press conference accusing the EGI of 'trying to instigate more clashes' in the strife-torn state.

Among other things, the FIR said the EGI report showed a photograph of a burnt building captioning that it was a house which was burnt on 5 May. “The true fact of the case is that the building is the office of a forest beat officer at Mata Mualtam Village, Churachandpur,' the FIR claimed. A second FIR was also registered against the four members of the EGI, with an additional charge of defamation.

On Sunday (3 September), EGI clarified that there was an error in a photo caption in the report released on 2 September, and the same was rectified with the updated report being uploaded on the platform. 

The Indian Women Press Corps (IWPC) has also condemned the FIR against the Editor’s Guild, noting that the registration of a FIR against such a body that aimed to protect press freedom 'ill behoves the largest democracy in the world'. The IWPC urged the Manipur government to quash the charges more so when the erroneous caption has been removed from the report.