Congress president Rahul Gandhi has condemned “fascist forces” attempting to “destroy the idea of India” in a letter to Manipur journalist Kishorechandra Wangkhem detained almost two months ago on charges of sedition.
Mr Gandhi had written the letter on January 2, but Manipur Pradesh Congress Committee president T.N. Haokip handed a copy formally to the jailed journalist’s wife Elangbam Ranjita on January 18.
“I strongly condemn your arrest under the National Security Act (NSA). This is another attempt to use the State machinery to silence dissent. Over the past few months, we have witnessed the BJP government’s design to trample constitutional rights of the people of Manipur,” the letter said.
“It is unfortunate that regressive forces continue to unleash violence with impunity, while those who seek accountability from the State are being jailed. Fascist forces have not only attempted to destroy the idea of India but attack anyone who challenges their distorted narrative,” Mr Gandhi said.
The Congress chief said his party stood in solidarity with Mr Wangkhem and would extend support in any manner possible.
'Seditious' remarks
Mr Wangkhem, 39, has been in the Sajiwa Central Jail on the outskirts of Manipur’s capital Imphal since November 27 for a Facebook video the BJP government in the State found seditious. In the video posted on November 19, the former newsreader of a local TV channel accused Chief Minister Nongthombam Biren of acting as a “puppet” of the Narendra Modi government at the Centre for celebrating the birth anniversary of Rani Laxmibai on a large scale in Manipur.
He was held on November 20 and released on November 26 only to be detained a day later and charged under NSA. He was sentenced to a year in prison, the maximum term under the Act.
The All Manipur Working Journalists’ Union, however, desisted from defending Mr Wangkhem as its members had adopted a resolution last year not to accept responsibility for a journalist “making derogatory comments” on social media.
The resolution said that “any person working in any of the media houses of Manipur as journalist/non-journalist must face on their own the consequences of posting/uploading derogatory, defamatory, illegal, unconstitutional, etc., comment/video on social media that is not connected with the profession of journalism in whatsoever manner, and that the union will not be responsible for it.”
Earlier cases
Ironically, Mr Biren too faced charges of sedition in April 2000 when W. Nipamacha Singh headed the regional Manipur State Congress Party government. Then the editor of the vernacular Nahorolgi Thoudang , Mr Biren had published a statement made by social worker Thaonaojam Iboyaima at a function of the extremist People’s Liberation Army.
The government of the day saw the publication of the statement as support for secessionist forces. Mr Biren was not the first Manipur journalist to have been charged with sedition, though. In September 1997, R.K. Ranendrajit, editor of Imphal-based English daily Freedom , was charged with publishing seditious and inflammatory editorial. His case had dragged for almost 20 years.
