Reporter manhandled

JOWAI, JULY 30: A vernacular daily reporter in Jowai was allegedly manhandled by the Chief Executive Member (CEM) of the Jaintia Hills Autonomous District Council (JHADC) during a meeting with the ngos at his office chamber in Jowai on Tuesday.

It is learnt that the reporter had gone with other journalists to the JHADC to cover the meeting after they were invited by the ngos that also includes FKJGP, AJYWO and HNYF. The ngos were meeting JHADC CEM Madonbai Rymbai to discuss on issue pertaining to the Sixth Schedule.

However, after the reporters took photograph of the meeting before leaving, to everybody’s shock Rymbai stood up from his chair and grab one of the journalist in a very not friendly manner and force him to sit inside the chamber.

The reporter, who does not want to be named said, “When the meeting was over, the CEM asked in a rude way how dare you enter the office chamber without taking any permission or appointment.”

Shocked over the incident, the journalists immediately informed the leaders of the Jaintia Journalists’ Association (JJA) about the incident.

Rymbai, however, gave a different version saying that he had hold the reporter as a friend and later had asked him (reporter) to have tea first and go.

According to the journalists the CEM had also apologize to the reporter.

However when the JJA members later met Rymbai they however were told that the he was angry because the reporters had reported against him using “filthy language” during a meeting with another NGO from the district recently.

The JJA condemned Rymbai’s attack on media-persons. The Shillong Press Club was also informed about the incident so that it could pursue the matter.- By Our Reporter