The attacker, arrested with an air rifle, told police he was aiming at a bird. Saikia, however, insists he was deliberately targeted.
BY PC Bureau
September 1, 2025: TV journalist Deep Saikia, who was shot in Senapati district of Manipur on Saturday, has alleged that the attack on him was targeted and deliberate, pointing out that he had earlier received life threats linked to his reporting, reports news agency PTI.
Saikia, a native of Jorhat in Assam, was in Laii village, a Naga-dominated area, to cover the Zinnia Flower Festival when he came under fire. He sustained injuries to his right leg and armpit while returning from the event with four others. Police said he was the only one hit in the group.
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Locals managed to overpower the gunman and handed him over to the police. The attacker, who was carrying an air rifle, told investigators he had been aiming at a bird and that Saikia was struck by accident. Authorities, however, said they are probing all possible angles given the sensitive circumstances.
Manipur: Believe It or Not—Reporter Shot, Mistaken for Bird https://t.co/6qO5f3Xw6r #SenapatiShooting #PressFreedom#HornbillTV #ManipurNews #JournalistSafety
— POWER CORRIDORS (@power_corridors) August 31, 2025
The incident also comes in the backdrop of Saikia’s recent confrontation with Nagaland Deputy Chief Minister Yanthungo Patton, who publicly berated him in Wokha district over a report citing local complaints of official inaction in boundary areas during an eviction drive in Assam.
From his hospital bed in Dimapur, where he is undergoing treatment, Saikia rejected the notion that it was random fire. “I was the only one shot twice among five people. This was deliberate. I had earlier alerted the police about threats to my life,” he said. Doctors have indicated he may be shifted to Guwahati for advanced treatment, as the bullets are yet to be removed.
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The attack has triggered widespread outrage among journalist bodies. The Naga Journalists’ Union Manipur (NUJM) has constituted a fact-finding team to look into the incident. Hornbill TV editor Dzuthono Mekro condemned the shooting, describing it as an assault on press freedom and urging the Nagaland and Manipur governments to ensure an impartial investigation.
The shooting has sent shockwaves across the Northeast’s media fraternity, raising fresh concerns about the safety of journalists in conflict-affected regions.
