Nagaland Journalist Shot During Flower Festival Coverage In Manipur's Senapati

The incident took place in Laii village of the Naga-dominated district, where the journalist of the Nagaland-based Hornbill TV, was covering the Zinnia flower festival. The gunman was nabbed by locals.

A journalist of the Nagaland-based Hornbill TV was shot at while he was covering a flower festival in Manipur's Senapati on Saturday evening.

Source : ABPLIVE AI

A TV journalist was shot at while he was covering a flower festival in Manipur’s Senapati district, police said on Sunday. Locals quickly caught the gunman, who was found in possession of an air gun, and handed him over to the police.

The incident took place on Saturday evening in Laii village of the Naga-dominated district, where Deep Saikia, a journalist of the Nagaland-based Hornbill TV, was covering the Zinnia flower festival. He sustained gunshot wounds on his armpits and legs, news agency PTI reported.

Saikia, originally from Jorhat in Assam, was initially treated at Senapati district hospital before being transferred to Nagaland for advanced medical care, police said.

Authorities are investigating the motive behind this alarming assault on the journalist. The attack comes shortly after Nagaland’s Deputy Chief Minister Yanthungo Patton publicly reprimanded Saikia during an event in Wokha district, PTI reported.

Channel Condemns Attack, Seeks Justice

Hornbill TV editor Dzuthono Mekro condemned the attack, calling it an assault on press freedom and democratic values. Mekro also urged the governments of Nagaland and Manipur to ensure a swift, thorough, and impartial investigation. 

She further said that such violence against media professionals cannot and must not be tolerated in a society where justice, accountability, and transparency hold value. She expressed concern over the rising hostility against journalists in the region, who she said are often witness harassment, violence, and intimodation for performing their professional duties, the Times Of India reported.

The editor further demanded that the assailant and any of his accomplices must be swiftly brought to justice, highlighting that such an action was necessary to send a strong message that crimes against journalists will not be left unpunished.

The channel extended its solidarity with the journalist's family and wished him good health and speedy recovery, the report added.