Indian Journalists Union condemns action against media bodies

Hyderabad: The Indian Journalists Union (IJU) on Saturday expressed its shock over the direction of the Union Ministry of Home affairs to the Assam government to take action against one Assamese daily, three Assamese news channels and a news website for their reportages on state wide agitation against Citizenship Amendment Bill (CAB). The direction of the ministry has come following a complaint of a Rastriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) affiliated organization.

The convenor of the RSS-backed Legal Rights Observatory, Vinay Joshi, wrote a letter to the Home Ministry with allegations that the Assamese daily, Asomiya Pratidin, its editor Nitumoni Saikia; three news channels, Pratidin Time, its editor Ajit Bhuyan, Prag News and its editor Afrida Hussain, News 18-Assamese TV channel and the news website, Inside NE and independent journalist Manjit Mahanta created unrest in Assam by exploiting the turmoil over the Citizenship Amendment Bill, 2016 in December and January last.

Joshi alleged that through their writings the media organisations and the journalists had helped the banned United Liberation Front of Assam (ULFA) to recruit new cadre to foment violence and trouble in the state.

In a statement, the Indian Journalists Union (IJU) President and Press Council of India (PCI) member Amar Devulapalli and Secretary-General Sabina Inderjit said that the direction of the home ministry to the Assam government to take action against journalists and news organisations for publishing news stories of widespread agitation against citizenship bill in Assam and other North Eastern (NE) states was unacceptable and a direct attack on freedom of press and expression guaranteed by the constitution of India.