Imphal: The All Manipur Working Journalists Union and the Editors’ Guild Manipur condemned the manner in which TOM TV has been shut down by some people claiming to be investors of its parent company Lamjingba Finance Monday afternoon.
According to its Editor-in-Chief, A. Mobi, this is not the first time the so-called investors have targeted TOM TV including holding its staff hostage for 4 to 5 hours. TOM TV is located adjacent to the Lamjingba Finance office and the so-called investors entered the PCR room of the TV news station and forcibly shut down the news organization.
After an earlier attack, TOM TV Editor had written a letter to the Imphal SP West, asking him for security but so far none has been arranged. Staffs of TOM TV are members of AMWJU and its Editor member of EGM and both the organizations share the trauma the employees of TOM TV went through.
The press note further continued that both AMWJU and EGM consider the action as a challenge to the “freedom of expression “and demand that appropriate action be taken up as early as possible against those by the state Home Department. Any issues anyone has with its parent company Lamjingba Finance, should not be used as an excuse to target a functioning media house.
AMWJU and EGM appealed all concerned to not to forcibly close any media houses on one pretext or the other. The two apex media bodies of Manipur also appealed to the State government to provide adequate security to enable TOM TV to function as usual.
