Mokokchung, February 22 (MTNews): The Mokokchung Press Club has expressed dismay over an uncomfortable frisking incident wherein press and media personnel were body-frisked by a group of women on Wednesday in Mongsenyimti village while on their way to report on an election related event.
MPC stated in a press release that the press personnel as professionals reasoned with the women and produced their ECI Media Identity Cards issued by the Chief Electoral Officer, Nagaland for free movement of media personnel, which the women did not honor. They also produced their respective media organizational ID Cards but the women were unreasonable, MPC added.
“Besides, the vehicles on which they were travelling had the ‘PRESS’ and ‘On Election Duty’ stickers issued by the Deputy Commissioner and District Election Officer, Mokokchung prominently displayed but they were forced to step out of their vehicles. The women then conducted unauthorized body frisking of the media personnel and searched the vehicles,” MPC stated.
The Mokokchung Press Club condemned the illicit body frisking and unlawful vehicle searching perpetrated on the press and media personnel by the unauthorized group of women in Mongsenyimti village as “tantamount to impeding the Constitutional right and freedom of the press.”
“Perpetrators of such illegitimate acts are liable for legal prosecution,” the press club noted.
The Mokokchung Press Club also appealed to the Deputy Commissioner and District Election Officer, Mokokchung “to rein in such unscrupulous elements so as to ensure that freedom of the press in Mokokchung is not subdued.”