GUWAHATI, India: Indian police in Manipur state have filed criminal charges against four journalists, accusing them of misrepresenting facts in a report about the violent clashes between two ethnic groups earlier this year.
The four were senior journalists working on a report for the Editors Guild of India that was seeking to assess how coverage of violence in the state was being conducted.
The report, which was released this month, stated that there “are clear indications that the leadership of the state became partisan during the conflict.”
The chief minister of Manipur, N. Biren Singh, on Monday accused the journalists of trying to “provoke clashes” with the report.
The journalists — Seema Mustafa who is president of the Editors Guild, Seema Guha, Bharat Bhushan and Sanjay Kapoor — could not be immediately reached for comment. The guild did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The Press Club of India, based in New Delhi, demanded that the charges be withdrawn, saying, “this is a strong arm tactic by the state government which amounts to intimidation of the apex media body of the country.”
At least 180 people have been killed in Manipur after deadly ethnic violence broke out in May between members of the majority Meitei ethnic group and minority Kuki community over the sharing of economic benefits and quotas.
Meiteis account for half of Manipur’s 3.2 million-strong population and extending limited affirmative action quotas to them would mean they would get a share in education and government jobs that have so far been reserved for Kukis and Nagas.
Federal forces were deployed to quell the unrest that forced tens of thousands to flee into neighboring states or refugee camps.
The report compiled by the journalists said that an Internet shutdown ordered in the state governed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) contributed to biased reporting by local media aligned with warring ethnic groups. Some local media groups have rejected the allegation.
This year, India has slid 11 places to rank 161st in the World Press Freedom Index, which is compiled by the non-profit group Reporters Without Borders. Modi’s government says India has a vibrant free press.
The Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights this week raised concern about reports of human rights violations in Manipur, describing them as tragic developments in a deteriorating situation for religious and ethnic minorities in India.
The UN statement comes ahead of a summit of G20 leaders in New Delhi that starts on Saturday.
India’s Manipur charges four journalists with misrepresenting violence in the state
https://arab.news/r7h4q
India’s Manipur charges four journalists with misrepresenting violence in the state
- Report blames state leadership of partisanship during conflict
- Manipur chief minister accuses journalists of trying to provoke clashes
Paris exhibition marks 200 years of Le Figaro and the enduring power of the press
- The exhibition celebrated the bicentennial of Le Figaro, offering visitors a rare opportunity to step inside the newspaper’s vast historical archive
PARIS: One of France’s most influential newspapers marked a major milestone this month with a landmark exhibition beneath the soaring glass nave of the Grand Palais, tracing two centuries of journalism, literature and political debate.
Titled 1826–2026: 200 years of freedom, the exhibition celebrated the bicentennial of Le Figaro, offering visitors a rare opportunity to step inside the newspaper’s vast historical archive. Held over three days in mid-January, the free exhibition drew large crowds eager to explore how the title has both chronicled and shaped modern French history.
More than 300 original items were displayed, including historic front pages, photographs, illustrations and handwritten manuscripts. Together, they charted Le Figaro’s evolution from a 19th-century satirical publication into a leading national daily, reflecting eras of revolution, war, cultural change and technological disruption.
The exhibition unfolded across a series of thematic spaces, guiding visitors through defining moments in the paper’s past — from its literary golden age to its role in political debate and its transition into the digital era. Particular attention was paid to the newspaper’s long association with prominent writers and intellectuals, underscoring the close relationship between journalism and cultural life in France.
Beyond the displays, the program extended into live journalism. Public editorial meetings, panel discussions and film screenings invited audiences to engage directly with editors, writers and media figures, turning the exhibition into a forum for debate about the future of the press and freedom of expression.
Hosted at the Grand Palais, the setting itself reinforced the exhibition’s ambition: to place journalism firmly within the country’s cultural heritage. While the exhibition has now concluded, the bicentennial celebrations continue through special publications and broadcasts, reaffirming Le Figaro’s place in France’s public life — and the enduring relevance of a free and questioning press in an age of rapid change.
