New Delhi: Congress chief Rahul Gandhi has sent a letter to Imphal-based journalist Kishore Chandra Wangkhem condemning his detention.
Wangkhem was detained under the National Security Act (NSA), for taking on the Centre over the Meghalaya coal mine rescue operation last month.
Gandhi, in his letter to the journalist, stated, “This is another attempt to use the state machinery to silence dissent. Over the past few months, we have witnessed the BJP government’s design to trample on constitutional rights of the people of Manipur.”
Trying to link this incident to the larger national narrative, Gandhi pointed out that the regressive forces continue to unleash violence with impunity, while those who seek accountability from the state are being jailed.
The Congress Chief’s letter also stated, “Fascist forces have not only attempted to destroy the idea of India but attack anyone who challenges their distorted narrative.”
Wangkhem (39), who was an anchor with a local channel in Imphal, was sentenced to one-year detention under the NSA in December, nearly a month after he was taken into custody for allegedly targeting the ruling BJP government and Prime Minister Narendra Modi in a social media post. A Facebook video showed him criticising Chief Minister N Biren Singh as well as PM Modi, in which he had reportedly called Singh a puppet of Modi.
According to sources, Wangkhem had also criticized the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) for organising a function meant to mark the birth anniversary of Rani Lakshmibai of Jhansi. He had alleged that the Rani of Jhansi had nothing to do with Manipur, and even dared the government to arrest him.
“Don’t betray, don’t insult the freedom fighters of Manipur,” the journalist had said in one of the posts, which the government sees as a propaganda of the militant groups.
Wangkhem’s family has challenged his detention in Manipur High Court.
