Manipur police quiz editor after he raises questions on govt’s anti-drug drive on TV

Human Rights Defenders Alert has written to the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) to intervene in the matter. It has accused police of illegally searching the editor’s home as well as arbitrarily detaining him for four hours. Police have, however, said that Ningombam visited the Imphal East police station of his own accord.

“We are writing to express our concern regarding the harassment, illegal house search and arbitrary detention of senior journalist Hemantakumar Ningombam by the police personnel of Imphal East, Manipur, for expressing his opinion on TV on the state government’s anti-drug policy,’’the human rights group wrote to the NHRC. “We appeal to the NHRC to treat this as a case of reprisal against a journalist and human rights defender for exercising his constitutionally guaranteed fundamental rights.’’

It requested the NHRC to direct the Manipur director-general of police to initiate “an immediate, independent, thorough, transparent, effective and impartial investigation into the arbitrary detention of the journalist and submit a report to the NHRC within two weeks’’. It also demanded that Ningombam be provided security “as he stands at further risk of reprisals’’.

As per the human rights group’s letter, around 7.30am on Wednesday, police arrived arrived at Ningombam’s house in three vehicles and searched it without prior notice. “Later, the security personnel took him to the Irilbung police station and detained him there. Hemantakumar was taken to the police station in his own vehicle with one police personnel…He was detained for around four hours at the police station and later released. The reason for the detention as given by the police was expressing his opinion on the war on drugs in relation to the poppy cartel on an ISTV (local cable TV network) discussion,’’the letter has said.

Manipur IGP Themthing Ngasangva, who was present during the journalist’s questioning, told The Indian Express that it was “cordial’’.

“He came in his own vehicle with his driver and left in his own vehicle. He was not kept in the lockup at any point. He had made a statement on television that had gone viral. In this statement, he was disrespectful to women. He said there were two women who were linked to the drug trade in Manipur and that these women should be worshipped by the chief minister, or that witchcraft or sorcery should be used against them to end the drug cultivation,” the police officer said. “There has been concern about his statement against women, and we have received several complaints from women about it. It was a cordial discussion that we had with him. We asked him the reasons behind such a statement.”

In his statement on television, Ningombam had said, “The government claims to be sincere in trying to stop poppy plantations in the state. I feel that poppies should have been completely eradicated by now, but I feel sad that they are not able to do so till now. I want to appeal to the government and people to eradicate poppy plantations.”

“Please bow down to two women with full submission…please bow down to these women in high positions…the government should seek their support to solve the problem…The Hon’ble chief minister, please use any means, witchcraft or sorcery to seek the help of these two women… Sending police and thrashing poppies with sticks and posting photos will not solve the problem,” he said.

The state government has been known to pick up journalists for questioning, some resulting in arrests, for having criticised the government. Journalists Kishorechandra Wangkhem, Paojel Chaoba and Dhiren Sadokpam were arrested in 2021.