North East Media Forum Condemns Threats and Attack on Nagaland Journalist

The North East Media Forum, New Delhi, has strongly condemned the recent threats and attack on Hornbill TV reporter Dip Saikia, calling it “a direct assault on press freedom and democratic values.”

The troubling sequence began on August 23, when Deputy Chief Minister of Nagaland, Yanthungo Patton, who also holds the Home and Border Affairs portfolios, publicly singled out Saikia during a function in Wokha district. Reports indicate that Patton instructed the journalist “not to sit in front of him,” warned that he would “not tolerate” any questions, and claimed to have asked people to “chase him away” from Naga areas.

Barely a week later, on August 30, while covering the Zinnia (Flower) Festival in Laii village, Senapati district, Manipur, Saikia was shot by an unknown assailant using a pressurized air rifle. He sustained injuries to his right leg and underarm and was initially treated at Senapati district hospital before being transferred to better facilities in Nagaland. Doctors have confirmed that he is out of danger, although a bullet remains lodged in his body.

Hornbill TV, through editor Dzuthono Mekro, described the attack as “shocking and reprehensible,” highlighting the threat it poses to press freedom.

The North East Media Forum has urged the governments of Nagaland and Manipur, as well as law enforcement agencies, to conduct a prompt, transparent, and impartial investigation. The Forum called for accountability for all individuals involved, “from political figures who issued threats to those who carried out the attack-regardless of rank or affiliation.”

The organization also emphasized the need for enhanced protective measures for journalists, particularly those reporting in sensitive or conflict-prone regions, and stressed that public criticism should never be treated as a crime.

The attack on Saikia, the Forum noted, is “not an isolated incident,” but part of a growing pattern of threats against journalists in Northeast India. It called on civil society, press clubs, human rights groups, and citizens to unite in defending press freedom and ensuring the safety of media professionals.

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