JFA condemns scribe's murder in Tripura

BY OUR STAFF REPORTER

GUWAHATI, Sept 21: Expressing shock at the brutal murder of a young television scribe in Tripura, the Jourlists’ Forum Assam (JFA) has demanded a high level probe into the incident and urged the Manik Sarkar-led Left government at Agartala to book the culprits under the law. The forum also reiterated its old demand for a special protection law for scribes on duty.

Shantanu Bhowmik, 29, who was associated with a local news channel—DinRaat, faced the attacks when he went to cover a gory clash between two parties—Indigenous People’s Front of Tripura (IPFT) and Communist Party of India (Marxist)’s tribal wing Tripura Rajaer Upajati Gamukti Parishad (TRUGP) at Mandai in west Tripura.

Seriously injured Shantanu was taken to a government hospital, but the attending doctors declared him brought dead.

Shantanu becomes the seventh Indian victim-jourlist this year after the murder of Bangalore based editor-jourlist and social activists Gauri Lankesh (55) on 5 September last. Prior to her, Harya based television jourlist Surender Singh Ra (35) was shot dead on 29 July.

The other victims include Kamlesh Jain (42) of Madhya Pradesh (killed on 31 May), Shyam Sharma (40) also of MP (killed on 15 May), Brajesh Kumar Singh (28) of Bihar (killed on 3 January) and Hari Prakash (31) of Jharkhand (killed on 2 January).

India lost six jourlists to assailants in 2016, which was preceded by five cases in 2015. The populous country witnessed murders of two scribes in 2014, but the year 2013 reported as many as 11 jourlists’ murders, where three northeastern media employees also fall victims to the perpetrators.

The killing of Sujit Bhattacharya (proof reader), Ranjit Chowdhury (mager) and Balaram Ghosh (driver) inside the office premises of  DainikGadoot in Agartala broke as sensatiol news as Tripura had no recent record of jourlist-murders.

“Tripura thus repeated its shameful record on journo-murder after three years. Shantanu’s killing on duty hours also reminds the challenge & risks faced by the working jourlists of Northeast.

We also extended moral supports to the agitating jourlists of Tripura for their endeavor to justice,” said a statement issued by JFA president Rupam Barua and secretary va Thakuria.

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