Media fraternity condemns scribe's murder

FROM OUR CORRESPONDENT

Itagar, Nov 23: The Aruchal Press Club, the Aruchal Pradesh Union of Working Jourlists and Aruchal Electronic Media Association has strongly condemned the recent acts of violence against the media in the Northeast including the heartless killing of a senior jourlist in Tripura.

One Sudip Datta Bhowmick, a senior jourlist of a leading Bengali daily of Agartala, was allegedly shot dead by a jawan of the armed forces at Agartala on Tuesday. This is the second murder of a scribe in a span of two months as another jourlist, Shantanu Bhowmik, was killed by a mob allegedly in the presence of the police outside of Agartala.

This past week, another deplorable act took place in Manipur when copies of a local language daily, Pokpham, was burnt down by people alleged to be members of the BJP’s youth wing after it ran an editorial that reportedly painted Prime Minister rendra Modi in poor light. In reaction, prominent newspapers in Manipur ran blank editorials on Monday in protest. This incident bears an uncanny resemblance to the chopping and burning copies of a local daily in October this year. Such repeated acts of violence against the media dispel the notion that Northeast is a peace haven. We, the APUWJ, APC and AEMA condemn such acts and extend our condolences to the family of the deceased, a statement from the Aruchal media fraternity said.