A couple of days after the Dorbar Shnong of Lawsohtun area in Meghalaya filed a First Information Report (FIR) against the Padmashree recipient and the Editor of The Shillong Times Patricia Mukhim on grounds of inciting communal tension, the International Journalists Union (IJU) has reportedly come out in defence of the accused.

IJU has urged the Dorbar Shong to respect the freedom of press and withdraw the FIR.

In a statement issued in Meghalaya, it reportedly said that if the Dorbar is offended by the remarks of the editor made on social media, it "may issue a clarification on her comments/report in concerned media which is the norm set by Press Council of India and other international media regulatory bodies."

The body, as per reports, further held that filing an FIR for an opinion or a report in newspapers or electronic media against a journalist is plain violation of the freedom of press and freedom of speech.

It all started when Mukhim, few days ago, condemned the attack on a group of non-tribal boys by some miscreants in the Lawsohtun area of Shillong. Taking to social media, she even questioned the Dorbar Shnong as to why they had failed to prevent the unfortunate incident from occurring.

The Dorbar Shong, took exception to the post and said that her response was unfounded and baseless. "Without knowing anything about the matter, she has put the entire village in a very bad light before the entire world," it had said. An FIR was also filed against the editor in this regard.