Manipur violence: SC protects four members of Editors Guild of India

The Indian Supreme Court yesterday protected four members of the Editors Guild of India against any coercive action till Monday in connection with two FIRs lodged in the ethnic strife-affected north eastern state of Manipur.

The FIRs were filed against them on charges of offences, including promoting enmity between two communities.

A bench, consisting of Chief Justice DY Chandrachud and justices JB Pardiwala and Manoj Misra, also sought a response from the Manipur government on the plea filed by the Editors Guild.

The top court agreed to hear the plea filed by the Editors Guild earlier in the day.

Meanwhile, 24-hour-curfew was clamped in all the five valley districts of Manipur, as a preventive measure from Tuesday evening, following a call by an outfit demanding removal of security barricade at a particular place, officials said.

The cancellation of curfew relaxation hours from 5:00am to 6:00pm in Bishnupur, Kakching, Thoubal, Imphal West and Imphal East comes in the wake of the call by the Coordinating Committee on Manipur Integrity (COCOMI) and its women wing requesting people from all parts of the valley districts to remove an army barricade at Phougakchao Ikhai in Bishnupur district, a few kilometres away from Churachandpur, on Wednesday, officials said.

Manipur government spokesperson Sapam Ranjan told reporters in Imphal, the state capital, that "the government appeals to COCOMI to withdraw the proposed plan to storm the army barricade at Phougakchao Ikhai near Torbung on September 6."