Imphal, Feb 17: Days after all newspapers in Manipur stopped publication following an attack at a leading newspaper office last week, Manipur Chief Minister N. Biren Singh has announced that his government has constituted a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe the recent grenade attack on the office of Imphal-based daily newspaper “Poknapham”.

Announcing the decision, the Chief Minister told the ongoing assembly session that the four-member SIT would be led by the Superintendent of Police of Imphal West district K. Meghachandra Singh.

The powerful All Manipur Working Journalist Union, Indian Journalist Union condemned the attack on the newspaper office.

No newspaper hit the stands and no local television channels in Manipur aired any news and programmes for the third day on Tuesday as editors and journalists continued to cease work protesting against the attack on a leading Manipuri newspaper office.

The newspaper office was targeted last Sunday but no one was hurt, police sources added.

A grenade was lobbed but it luckily didn’t explode. Had it exploded a large number of employees and visitors would have been killed and wounded, police sources further added.

While no banned militant outfit had taken claims of this attack so far, this is not for the first time newspapers or journalists have been targeted in Manipur.

cease work on a call by the All Manipur Working Journalists’ Union (AMWJU) and the Editors Guild of Manipur (EGM).

Demanding security to the journalists and media offices, a joint delegation of both groups submitted a memorandum to Chief Minister N. Biren Singh who assured to take appropriate action to the demands.

Protesting the attack, journalists are holding sit-in demonstrations at Keishampat Leimajam Leikai since Sunday.

The AMWJU and the EGM already announced that the offices of the newspapers and television channels would be closed and the publication would be suspended till Thursday.

A total of 32 newspapers, mostly vernacular, are published daily from Manipur and there are several cable-based television channels.