From our Special Correspondent

SILCHAR, July 5: Silchar Press Club at its emergent meeting held in the premises of its office here today expressed serious concern at the recent volatile situation in Barak Valley and the assault on journalists belonging to different media houses. The meeting attended by the media-persons after reviewing the prevailing situation took the following resolutions unanimously. The three journalists who became the victims of brutal attack by anti social elements in Karimganj and Kalain included Sanjeev Singh, Biman Sinha and Ratul Dutta. All the media persons present condemned the assault on their colleagues and expressed their disdain in the strongest words. They demanded immediate arrest of the criminals and exemplary punishment to them. It was also demanded that the administration of Cachar and Karimganj should arrange proper medical care and treatment of the three injured journalists, besides restoring their stolen video cameras and extending to them adequate compensation for all the physical and mental torture and losses suffered by them.

The meeting also strongly criticised the role of the administration of the three districts of Cachar, Karimganj and Hailakandi in dealing with the highly volatile situation, emerging across the valley in the wake of Rumi-Jacky affair. The developments leading to clashes and mayhems between the members of two communities had only exposed the complete incompetence and ineptitude of the general administration and the police.

The Press Club at the same time demanded judicial inquiry into all the violent incidents, harassment of common people as well as assault on journalists before, during and after all the ugly happenings following Rumi-Jacky affair and its publication of report within a definite time frame. Shankar Dey, general secretary of Press Club, said in order to protest against the assault on journalists and the inefficiency of the administration to deal with the situation, the media-persons of the print and electronic media, would bring out rally from the premises of the Club with black ribbons around their faces covered on July 7 and march through the main thoroughfares of the town.

The Seriously injured ones in Kalain mayhem are  now undergoing treatment in Silchar Medical College Hospital.