Diktats to suspend publication for 6 months to newspaper case Cops crack whip, 7 pulled up so far

    02-Mar-2021
|

Diktats to suspend public
By Our Staff Reporter
IMPHAL, Mar 1 : After four individuals were pulled up for issuing a dikat banning the publication of Poknapham daily for six months, two more were apprehended yesterday.
The two arrested yesterday have been identified as  Wahengbam (N) Heirang-khongbam (O) Ibecha Devi (48) of Lairenjam Makha Leikai and Laitonjam (N) Yumnam (O) Indubala Devi (47) of Nambol Thongkha.
They were produced before the Court of Chief Judicial Magistrate, Imphal West today and the Court remanded them to police custody till March 6.
Earlier four other accused identified as Md Abdul Hasan (34) s/o Md Itomchou of Saiton Awang Leikai but presently staying at Kwakta Bazar, Sarajuddin (29) s/o late Sahabuddin of Kwakta (B), Jamaruddin (51) s/o late Shamsuzaman  of Kwakta Ward No 5 and Moijing Maulana Tajuddin (34) s/o Moijing Mohammed Sahabuddin of Kwakta Ward No 5 were arrested on February 27.
They were also remanded to police custody till March 3.  
A late report informed that another suspect was pulled up this evening but his details are not known yet.  
This was the second time that Poknapham has been targeted by unidentified miscreants as a Chinese hand grenade was hurled at the Keishampat Thiyam Leikai office of Poknapham and the People’s Chronicle at around 6.45 pm of February 13.
Not long later, an ultimatum was served to the daily again dictating that it stop publication for a period of six months.
While the media fraternity suspended their normal activities and halted publication of newspapers as well as broadcasting of news, Manipur police formed a special investigation team to investigate the case.
The seven suspects were pulled up one after another after police tracked a phone number through which some unknown persons called the office of the Poknapham and threatened the daily paper to suspend its daily publication for six months.
To denounce the ‘shut down’ diktat, the media houses in Imphal had ceased publication for two days on February 26 and 27.
Earlier too media persons at Imphal had launched a cease work strike from February 13 to 18 when a hand grenade was lobbed at the office of the Poknapham on February 13.