The state has been riven by ethnic conflict between the Meitei (Hindu) and Kuki (Christian) communities since May 2023.
“Physical attacks, intimidation and restrictions on movement have turned it into a minefield for the media,” the RSF said in its statement.
Disinformation has flourished in this environment, fuelling hostilities that have claimed more than 260 lives so far and displaced over 60,000 people.
New Delhi clamped an internet shutdown in five of Manipur’s districts in June following outbreak of clashes between the two communities.
It accused both law enforcement agencies and armed militias of obstructing journalists from carrying out their duties by seizing their equipment, barring their entry into specified areas and initiating “spurious legal proceedings” against them.
The RSF gave an account of the experience which several journalists went through in Manipur. Pukhrambam Jotin Singh, a cameraman working for Impact News TV, was attacked by security forces on June 7 while covering a protest in Imphal, the state capital.
L. Kabichandra, a reporter for a TV channel, was wounded when a gunshot allegedly fired by a Kuki struck him. Since then his organization has to rely on a local correspondent to cover Kuki areas. Yambem Laba, a correspondent for The Statesman, was abducted from his home allegedly by members of a Meitei armed group on Feb 11 this year.
Afrida Hussain, who works for the India Today magazine, had to be rescued by the army from a hotel in Imphal after a mob surrounded it to protest a report on armed clashes between security forces and a Meitei armed group.
She resigned after the incident, left Manipur and said she would never work in the state again.“Whether perpetrated by armed groups or by security forces, attacks, threats and reprisals against media professionals are unacceptable.
“The authorities must also prosecute all those who attack media professionals,” the RSF said.