The brutal assault and abduction of Kumar Nongthombam, a reporter with local TV channel Image TV, on the midnight of February 23, has elicited strong condemnation from the All Manipur Working Journalists’ Union (AMWJU) and the Editors’ Guild Manipur (EGM). In a joint statement issued by AMWJU and EGM, it was revealed that Kumar Nongthombam, a 39-year-old reporter residing in Wangkhei under Imphal East, was viciously attacked in his rented room before being forcefully taken away by armed assailants. According to the statement, AMWJU members, while searching for him, found Nongthombam critically injured within an office building on the DM University campus. Subsequently, members of a civil society organization facilitated his transfer to AMWJU and arranged for his urgent medical treatment at a hospital.
Furthermore, the perpetrators set fire to Nongthombam’s rented accommodation, which he shared with two absent students. Personal belongings, including salary, a laptop, a camera, and valuable documents and books of the students, were destroyed in the blaze.Local residents alerted journalists about Kumar’s whereabouts, leading to the discovery of the injured reporter inside the DM university complex with the help of a civil society organization. Nongthombam recounted the harrowing experience of unidentified armed individuals forcibly entering his room, assaulting him, and disregarding his press credentials, which were thrown into the fire.
Blindfolded and beaten, he was moved to another room by a CSO member who recognized him. Following the ordeal, Nongthombam was admitted to Raj Medicity for treatment around 1:30 a.m. on February 24. In a unified statement, EGM and AMWJU condemned the attack, emphasizing that while journalists routinely face risks, Nongthombam’s ordeal went beyond professional hazards. They urged civil society organizations and others to refrain from such acts in the future, warning of potential boycotts if such incidents recurred.