For the second time in four months, Manipur-based senior journalist Yambem Laba’s place of residence has been attacked by militants.
In the most recent incident that took place early September 11, armed militants arrived outside his home at around 3 am and fired ten rounds at Laba’s home before vanishing into the darkness.
Laba is a special representative with The Statesman and a former acting president of the Manipur Human Rights Commission. He is also president of a political party, Good Governance Party, formed in Imphal over two months ago.
The veteran scribe believes that his most recent statements criticising Manipur Chief Minister Biren Singh might not have been liked by some of his supporters, which could have led to the attack.
“I think this is a group of boys who call themselves as Biren’s volunteers, you see… And they are not (part of) any of the established underground groups of men. They are armed and they came and fired at my place. The street lamps were shut off at 12.30 a.m., they came around 3 o ‘clock. They didn’t park there… kept the engine running. They came, approached my gate, and then they fired and… swiftly ran,” he said.
About two weeks ago, the Good Governance Party, in a press release signed by Laba, asked people whether they should continue to save Biren or save Manipur instead?
“I think this is a group of boys who call themselves as Biren’s volunteers, you see… And they are not (part of) any of the established underground groups of men. They are armed and they came and fired at my place. The street lamps were shut off at 12.30 a.m., they came around 3 o ‘clock. They didn’t park there… kept the engine running. They came, approached my gate, and then they fired and… swiftly ran.”
Journalist Yambem Laba
The press release, issued on September 6, accused Singh of “abandoning” the Meiteis after “long-range rockets” fired from the Hills hit Imphal West’s Koutruk region on September 1, killing two and injuring 10.
The most recent attack, Laba claims, is in retaliation to his statement and a related video of him speaking against the CM that went viral.
In May this year, unidentified gunmen attacked a house belonging to him in Monongjam village in Heignang assembly constituency (belonging to CM Biren Singh). Armed militants also entered the building and ransacked his office. Fortunately, the senior scribe was away in Delhi to give a press conference at the time.
“Back then, I could identify the attackers very quickly because they belonged to one of the main Meitei armed groups… after the attack, they called up my organizers in Delhi and told them not to hold a press conference. And so, I could establish the identity very quickly.”
Raising serious questions about the safety of journalists and others who take a dissident view of the government’s handling of the most recent violence in the state, Laba pointed out that any verbal attack on CM Biren Singh is equated as an attack on Manipur or the Meitei community and met with retaliation.
“There are a lot of people… with guns. And any attack on Biren or the Meitei community is not tolerated by them and they react very violently. They don’t ask for an explanation, they just go to the house and then storm the house, break things up… That’s the normal modus operandi that has been followed in Manipur so far.”
He added that despite the attack getting widespread media attention, the police are yet to begin an investigation. “I’ve been fired upon twice. And yet, the police are refusing to come and investigate an attempted murder on a former chairperson of the State Human Rights Commission and one of the most respected journalists of Manipur.”
Laba now hopes that the National Human Rights Commission will probably intervene and ask the police to register an FIR and investigate the attack.
Until then, the veteran scribe, who now has a loaded shotgun by his side, points at the weapon and claims that it is “not there just for show.” “This is cowboy country, my friend,” he concludes.
According to a The Print report, several individuals have been picked up by the Manipur Police for allegedly posting disparaging comments about Chief Minister N. Biren Singh and his government in the past few days.
“While we respect the right to free speech, any misuse of digital platforms to spread unrest or provoke harm will not be tolerated. We urge everyone to use social media responsibly and contribute to the peace and unity of Manipur.”
CM Biren Singh
The development came barely a day after a PhD scholar was granted interim bail by a court in Imphal West, following her criticism of the state’s internet ban on Facebook. Though the police have not made an official statement over the arrest of any civilian for objectionable content on social media, a Facebook post from the official page of Biren Singh showed a veiled picture of an individual who was supposedly “arrested for instigating violence and encouraging the public to disrupt peace”.
The name and identity of the individual were not made public, but an image was shared in the post with a message—’There is no need to raise slogans in the streets, no need for conducting any rally, no need for pelting stones—break down the BJP office, break down Biren’s party offices, break down the RSS office.’
“While we respect the right to free speech, any misuse of digital platforms to spread unrest or provoke harm will not be tolerated. We urge everyone to use social media responsibly and contribute to the peace and unity of Manipur,” the statement from the CM’s Facebook account read.