Emmy C Lawbei

Journalist

Assam

HRDA has issued an urgent appeal to the National Human Rights Commission of India on March 14 over the physical assault on Ms. Emmy C Lawbei by the Assam police at Kachurthal. Ms. Lawbei is a woman journalist from Guwahati and works for news channel News18 Assam.

Ms. Lawbei went to cover the ongoing conflict at the border between the Assam Police and Mizo Zirlai Pawl activists. She and her team reached the area at around 11 am on March 10, 2018. While she was reporting, members of a Mizo students’ body clashed with the Assam Police and the dispute turned violent. While the journalists were covering the situation, Ms. Lawbei was brutally beaten up by the police. She repeatedly told the police that she is a journalist and showed her identity card, but they did not listen to her even as she screamed.

Due to the police attack, around 20 people were injured in the incident. Ms. Lawbei was rushed to the Bairabi Hospital for treatment.