Ruckus in front of PS against police ’roughing up’ 2 scribes
By our Staff Reporter
GUWAHATI, January 31: Two jourlists, including a lady, were allegedly assaulted by an OC and an SI in Latasil police station in the city today apparently for no fault of theirs. The incident assumes significance as the two jourlists were allegedly beaten up badly. As though to make the matter worse, the lady jourlist was allegedly assaulted by the two male cops and there was no lady police personnel at that time in the police station. A case was registered after seven hours of the incident.
The FIR lodged by lady jourlist Mridusmita Bhuyan of DY 365 says that around 12.15 pm today she went 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. The duo even said in the FIR that they were threatened by the two police officials who told them that there was none to protect them.
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.
Soon Joint Guwahati Police Commissioner N Haque rushed to the spot to put an end to the agitation by the jourlists, but to no avail.
The jourlists were examined by doctors and brought back to the police station, but the agitating jourlists refused to put an end to their dhar. Their demand was that the two jourlists should be arrested immediately, 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.