A TV journalist from Nagaland, Dip Saikia, was shot at twice with an air gun at Laii village in Manipur’s Senapati district while returning from an assignment, prompting calls for an “impartial” probe into the incident.
Police arrested a person and seized the weapon, reports said. Saikia, hit in his right armpit and thigh while returning to Nagaland after covering a flower festival, was shifted to a hospital in Chumukedima. Senapati is a Naga-majority district.
From his hospital bed on Sunday, Saikia said that the air gun was fitted with a binocular and a silencer. He and his cameraman had stopped at a waiting shed when the first shot hit him. “The second shot was fired within ten seconds,” he said. He was first taken to a local primary health centre.
“I was lucky, and it is not the fault of Laii village. The accused was from outside,” Saikia said.
The Laii village authority council identified the shooter as Raiveinni Ramai of Phuba Khuman village, also in Senapati district. The incident occurred about 3km south of the festival site.
According to a council statement, Ramai, a tourist attending the festival, “admitted” he fired from the air gun, intending to shoot a bird, unaware of Saikia’s presence. The council extended support to the victim’s family but stressed the village’s non-involvement. It also pointed out that possession of air guns and hunting are banned under local rules.
The Naga Journalists’ Union Manipur (NUJM) and Hornbill TV, Saikia’s employer, demanded a thorough probe.
Saikia recently drew attention after Nagaland deputy chief minister Yanthungo Patton, in a viral video, berated him over his reporting on an Assam government eviction drive in the Rengma forest bordering Nagaland.
Hornbill TV, in a Saturday statement, called the assault “shocking and reprehensible,” describing it as a direct attack on press freedom and democratic values. The channel urged the Nagaland and Manipur governments, along with law enforcement agencies, to ensure an impartial investigation.
Saikia, a senior field journalist with Hornbill TV, has reported extensively from conflict-prone areas. The incident has further highlighted concerns over the safety of journalists in the Northeast, where reporters often face hostility both from political leaders and armed groups.
Militants arrested
Six militants were arrested from different districts of Manipur, police said on Sunday.
Four cadres of the banned People’s Liberation Army were arrested near the Myanmar border in Tengnoupal district on Friday.
They were identified as Chabungbam Nanaocha Meetei, 21, Waikhom Thoi Meitei, 30, Ningthoujam Rakesh, 25, and Tekcham Nanao Singh, 25.
A member of the Socialist Revolutionary Party, Kangleipak, was arrested from Sangaiprou in Imphal West district on Saturday.
The accused, identified as Maisnam Abhi Singh, 40, was accused of extorting local businesses, police said.
An active cadre of PREPAK (PRO) was arrested from Tera Urak in Bishnupur district on Friday, they said.
Additional reporting from PTI