Bajali Press Guild stages protest against former Assam IAS officer Hitesh Dev Sarma

A CORRESPONDENT

BAJALI: The Bajali Press Guild on Sunday staged a protest with its members wearing black badges and carrying banners condemning former Assam IAS officer Hitesh Dev Sarma for allegedly threatening senior journalist Rana Deka over his coverage of recent public demonstrations. 

The protest, held near Hari Mandir at Pathsala in Bajali, witnessed the participation of journalists from various media organizations who demanded strict legal action and better safety measures for mediapersons. They also shouted slogans.

During the protest, members of the Press Guild raised slogans against attempts to intimidate journalists and stated that any threat to a reporter was equivalent to a threat to press freedom. They emphasized that journalists must be allowed to work freely without fear of harassment or retaliation, especially when reporting on matters of public interest.

They also blocked roads demanding immediate action on the former officer.

Expressing solidarity with journalist Rana Deka, guild members said that the alleged threat issued after his coverage of a recent demonstration was deeply concerning. They described the act as ‘undemocratic’ and ‘unacceptable’ in a society that valued transparency and accountability.

Sasanka Talukdar, a journalist of Bajali said, “We respect officers like IAS, ACS, but Hitesh Dev Sarma’s words were not appropriate. He should choose his words carefully. Threatening a journalist and an 8-year-old child is completely unacceptable.”

Journalist Rana Deka said that their reportage showed some police personnel, including the Baksa Addl SP Geetartha Dev Sarma, the son of Hitesh Dev Sarma, taking aggressive action against protesters.

Local media groups have extended support to the Bajali Press Guild, stressing that rising incidents of intimidation against journalists must be addressed urgently to safeguard press freedom in the region. 

The alleged intimidation came after NKTV aired a report involving Sarma’s son, APS officer Geetartha Dev Sarma, who has been accused of assaulting a fan of Late singer Zubeen Garg in Mushalpur, Baksa.

As per reports, the news was broadcast at a time when the transfer of accused persons in the Zubeen Garg death case, including Shyamkanu Mahanta and Siddharth Sharma, from Guwahati to Baksa district jail had sparked unrest outside the jail premises.

Following the alleged threats, Deka filed an FIR at Pathsala police station after which police have begun an inquiry into the complaint.

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