17 scribes killed in Assam in 20 years

Working in Assam has never been easy for journalists. As many as 17 journalists have been killed...

Working in Assam has never been easy for journalists. As many as 17 journalists have been killed, several of them by the outlawed United Liberation Front of Assam (ULFA), across the state in the past 20 years.

Worse, all the cases have remained unsolved for reasons best known to the police and the Government.

On Tuesday, a group of anti-social elements attacked Muslimuddin, a correspondent of Asomiya Pratidin, a leading Assamese daily, at Morajhar in Nagaon district. Muslimuddin, who had written a series of reports about criminal-politician nexus in the Hojai sub-division of the district, died when he was being shifted to the GMC Hospital in Guwahati a day later. The director of a local cable television news channel was also killed last week.

Story continues below this ad

While the police have so far arrested three persons— Qutubur Rahman, Mohammed Tuta Miyan and Mohhamed Joynul Haque— in connection with Muslimuddin’s death, Asomiya Pratidin editor Ajit Kumar Bhuyan said there was a bigger gang of criminals having a nexus with powerful people who were behind the gruesome act.

“Journalists in Assam are working in a very dangerous situation,” Prakash Mahanta, convenor of Journalists’ Action Committee, Assam said on Friday.

Attack on scribes began way back in 1987, when the ULFA first killed Kundarmal Agarwal, a district correspondent of The Assam Tribune at Kampur in Nagaon district.

Debris found in Dal Lake could be from missile Pak fired during Op Sindoor

India1 hr ago

Debris believed to be from a missile fired by Pakistan during Operation Sindoor in May has been found in Srinagar's Dal Lake. The debris has been handed over to the Air Force for further investigation. Sources say the target may have been a military installation in Srinagar, which is close to the lake. The make of the missile is yet to be determined.

View all shorts

Live Blog