Scribes on indefinite strike after grenade is thrown at Manipur newspaper office

All newspapers in Imphal failed to hit the stands on Sunday since reporters and editors went on an indefinite strike from late Saturday in protest against the hurling of a China-made hand grenade at the office of the Poknapham at Keishampat in the heart of the Imphal city at 6.30 p.m. No underground organisation has claimed responsibility for the attack.

Police said that the grenade did not explode. A ranking police office said that had it exploded, the casualty could have been high as there were a large number of employees and visitors at that time. The office brings out the Poknapham, the largest circulated vernacular newspaper in Manipur and its sister publication, the Chronicle.

Police have not so far made any headway in the investigation.

Information Minister Thongam Biswajit condemned the attack in a statement, saying that violence had no place in a democracy. Press was the fourth pillar in a democratic country he said and added that all democratic-minded people would condemn the reprehensive attack.

All Manipur Working Journalists Union and Editors Guild Manipur convened an emergency meeting at the Press Club late on Saturday and resolved to suspend all publications. A sit-in protest is being held on Sunday in Imphal. All media organisations in the State have condemned the bomb attack and will be participating in the protest.

There had been bomb attacks in some newspaper offices in Imphal in the past, triggering protracted protest from the journalists.