The All Manipur Working Journalists’ Union (AMWJU) and the Editors’ Guild Manipur (EGM) have decided to suspend their boycott of government news coverage but will continue their black badge protest against the harassment of journalists by central security forces at Gwaltabi. The incident occurred while journalists were en route to cover the 5th Shirui Festival.

As part of the ongoing protest, journalists will continue displaying slogans demanding the protection of media rights. The agitation began after a memorandum was submitted to the Governor on May 20, prompting the formation of a two-member enquiry committee tasked with investigating the matter and submitting its report within 15 days. The committee submitted its findings to the Manipur Chief Secretariat on June 16.

However, both AMWJU and EGM have expressed deep dissatisfaction over the lack of concrete action taken by the government more than a month after the incident. They warned that the future course of agitation would depend on the government’s response to the enquiry report.

In a joint statement, the journalist bodies apologized for any inconvenience caused to the public and reaffirmed their call for accountability. The movement continues under the slogan: “We demand action now against injustice.”