Police body trying to ’defend’ action against two scribes in PS

By our Staff Reporter

GUWAHATI, February 1: All Assam Police Association (AAPA) president Pabitra Kumar Sarma today blamed it on the two jourlists in the Latasil police station incident that occurred on January 31. Sarma made an attempt to justify the police action against the two jourlists. Meanwhile, Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi asked Additiol Chief Secretary Rajib Kumar Bora to inquire into the matter.

Talking to newsmen at Guwahati Press Club in the city today, Sarma said: “The camera of the VDO jourlist was not stched by the police. It was stched from the two jourlists by the local people and handed it over to the police station.”

Denying the allegation of assault on the  lady jourlist, Sarma said: “The police personnel get training on human rights from time to time. They aren’t so stupid that they would dare assault a lady jourlist to land themselves in troubled waters.”

However, it is worth mentioning here that a few days back some police personnel had to be behind bars for clicking the picture of a woman ked in Lakhimpur.

Sarma levelled a counter–allegation that the two jourlists also clicked the picture of a woman when she was breast–feeding her baby.

“We demand that the two jourlists shouldn’t be allowed to attend their duty till the disposal of the case since the incident relating to them is sub–judice now,” they demanded.  

The FIR lodged by lady jourlist Mridusmita Bhuyan of DY 365 said that around 12.15 pm today she had gone to the premises of Latasil police station in the city along with her camera person Tapan Das to cover a story on the condition of the quarters of police there. The policeman manning the gate, according to the FIR, allowed them inside the premises. Talking to a lady staying in the premises, Mridusmita came to know that the lady was staying there on rent and as such she would not be able to part any information to them. When the two jourlists were coming out of the premises, the OC of the police station, Chidanda Das, and an SI of Paltan Bazar police station, Samsuddin Ahmed, took the camera forcibly from them and took them to the police station by beating them up, the FIR said.

When the matter spread in the city, the press fraternity from the media houses rushed to the spot and began to stage a dhar in front of the police station demanding immediate arrest of the two erring police officials. Soon the gathering in front of the police station escalated into a big one with KMSS leaders Akhil Gogoi, Kamal Kumar Medhi and other activists joining the agitation. State BJP leader Bijon Mahajan also joined the agitating jourlists and demanded immediate arrest of the two police officials.

After long seven hours of the incident, the police registered a case (40/15 under sections 427/323/354(B)/307/34).     

Meanwhile, the police ordered an investigation by its crime branch and the two erring police personnel have been close to reserve. ACP (crime branch) Suleman Ali has been entrusted to investigate the case.

On the other hand, SI Samsuddin Ahmed also filed a counter–FIR in the same police station charging the two jourlists with trespassing.