IT News
Imphal, Sept 12:
Home department of the government of Manipur has warned of strict legal actions against whoever found misusing the PRESS stickers or jackets/ Vests with PRESS inscription.
“It is also ordered that only persons allowed to use such Jackets/ Vests / Stickers with wording/inscription “PRESS” shall be permitted to enter the violence-affected zone/area for media reporting. Anybody found violating the aforesaid instructions/directions will be penalized/prosecuted under relevant laws of the land in force for the time being, without any exception.
The State Home Department also ordered all District Magistrates, State Police, and Security agencies deployed for enforcing law and public order shall take up appropriate necessary action for the effective implementation of this order.
The order by the Home Department said that the State Government reportedly acknowledges from reliable sources the misuse of Jackets, Vest, and Stickers with the wording/inscription “PRESS” in the name of covering various incidents related to the ongoing Law and order Crisis in the State thereby creating a situation of apprehension of a high chance of misuse of such Jackets, Vest, and Stickers by anti-social miscreants and unauthorized persons to get easy access to such fringes/ vulnerable areas and resorting to provocative acts or otherwise unethical/ unprofessional way of reporting incidents by unaccredited/ unauthorized self-style persons/ reports, which may prove to be counter-productive and adversarial if left unwarranted without any check and balance. The above situation also warrants the State Government to take immediate preventive and precautionary measures/action to install a proper check and balance mechanism at the checkpoints in and around the places/sites of violence to avoid any confusion amongst the general public and security agencies and also to avoid unethical/ unprofessional way of reporting by non-accredited or unauthorized/ self-styled reporters, by way of entry regulation in such areas/sites of violence.
The Home Department order said that the order that Jackets/Vests/Stickers with the wording/inscription “PRESS” will be allowed to be used by only those media persons, Journalists, and Video-Journalists possessing Identity Cards/ Accreditation Certificates issued by the Directorate of Information & Public Relations (DIPR), Press Bureau of India, All India Radio, Doordarshan (DD News) and recognized National & International media firms with immediate effect and until further orders.