Imphal, Jan 18: Two Manipur editors who were arrested on Sunday and charged with Sedition and arrested under the stringent anti-terror law – the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) – over an article published in The Frontier Manipur, a local news portal, have been released, according to police sources.

this after they had written to Manipur Police on Monday claiming that the article published was ‘unverified’ and was due to their ‘oversight’.

“The source of the article was unverified but came from one person called M Joy Luwang… published in one vernacular and one English eveninger. I regret that the government finds the article questionable and I submit that it was an oversight on our part. There will be no such mistakes which will not pass our scrutiny in future” reads the letter signed by the two editors – The Frontier Manipur executive editor Paojel Chaoba and editor-in-chief Dhiren Sadokpam.

Three functionaries of All Manipur Working Journalist Union (AMWJU)  have signed the letter as witness and was handed over to Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh for his intervention.

Meanwhile, a top government official on condition of anonymity has informed Hub News that the serious charges against the two editors might be withdrawned but cops will investigate to find out the author of the Article.

They have been accused of serious charges like criminal conspiracy, causing alarm to induce offence against the state and supporting terror organisation.

The news website on January 8 published an article- “Revolutionary Journey In A Mess” by M Joy Luwang – that criticises Manipur’s “armed revolutionary groups” for straying from the “revolutionary cause”.

A first information report or FIR was filed by the state police suo moto, or out of its own accord, which named the author of the articles and the two editors as accused.