Scroll’s Arunabh Saikia and Tora Agarwala won accolades at the International Press Institute India Award for Excellence in Journalism on Friday for their reportage of the ethnic conflict in Manipur.

While announcing the award in December, the press institute had said that the jury, headed by former Supreme Court judge Madan B Lokur, was unable to select a winner in the print/digital and broadcast categories.

However, the panel decided to award five entries cash prizes and citations for “covering different angles of the strife in Manipur”, it had said.

Apart from Saikia and Agarwala, Vijaita Singh from The Hindu, Greeshma Kuthar from The Caravan, Ashutosh Mishra from India Today, and The Print were given the accolade.

The press institute said that the decision was taken as a “mark of appreciation and acknowledgement of the media’s efforts to bring out the various facets of the human tragedy caused by the civil strife” in Manipur.

Since May 3, 2023, at least 258 persons have been killed and more than 59,000 persons displaced due to clashes between the Meiteis and Kuki-Zo-Hmars communities in the state.

Saikia was one of the first reporters to put a spotlight on the conflict. He returned to Manipur several times in 2023 and reported on the partisan role of the state government and the complete breakdown of coordination between the state police and the central forces.

Scroll was also the first news organisation to publish detailed accounts of the sexual violence that women faced during the early days of the violence. This reporting was done by Agarwala, an independent journalist.

She produces a vital record of sexual violence. A day after her report was published, the police filed a first information report in one of the cases, and the Supreme Court ordered an investigation by the Central Bureau of Investigation of 17 cases of sexual violence against women and children.

The International Press Institute, based in Vienna, is a global organisation dedicated to the promotion and protection of press freedom and the improvement of journalism practices. Its India chapter comprises editors, publishers and senior executives of newspapers, magazines and news agencies.