Manipur editors to resist NIA demands

IMPHAL, MAY 28 (IANS): Newspaper editors in Manipur on Saturday decided not to yield to pressure from the National Investigation Agency (NIA) which has demanded they share source of underground press releases and other details which will lead to the location of the computer used by insurgents to emailing these.  The NIA demands became stronger in wake of the claim by the Corcom taking responsibility about the ambush of a convoy of 29 Assam Rifles in the border area where six personnel were killed and 7 others wounded by the insurgents. An emergency meeting of the Editors’ Guild Manipur (EGM) was held on Saturday to discuss the letter from the NIA asking the editor of mass circulation vernacular newspaper, The Poknapham and its sister publication, People’s Chronicle, to hand over the copies of publicity materials in connection with the claim for the May 22 ambush. Robindro Sharma, editor of The Poknapham told IANS that the meeting decided to furnish the materials as far as possible but certain sensitive materials including those concerning the editorial sanctity shall never be handed over to the NIA or any authority.