ULFA terrorists now start gunning for journalists in Assam

After its recent carnage in Upper Assam, the United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA) has now trained its guns on the media in the state. The militant outfit has warned three editors of local newspapers who criticised the group for asking a private TV channel to prove a news report within a month or to wind up its operations in Assam.

Security personnel keep vigil near the bomb blast site at Tinsukia, about 550 kkm east of Guwahati, Sunday, January 21, 2007. ULFA militants triggered three explosions, killing two people and wounding at least 18 others on the day. (AP Photo)

The warning, by ULFA commander-in-chief Paresh Baruah in its mouthpiece Freedom, came close on the heels of trenchant criticism by the editors for asking Northeast Television (NETV) to prove its report that the outfit had clandestinely accepted money from the state administration to withdraw its call to boycott the National Games. If it failed to do so, the channel would have to wind up its operations in Assam, Baruah threatened.

The three editors are Kanak Sen Deka of Dainik Agradoot, Direndra Nath Chakraborty of Dainik Asom and Dileep Chandan of the weekly Asom Bani. Deka is also the president of the influential literary body Asom Sahitya Sabha.

NETV had reported that the Congress-led coalition government in the state had bribed ULFA to lie low during the National Games to be held from February 9-18. The news was subsequently picked up by newspapers. Though Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi described the reports as baseless, Baruah on Tuesday sent an ultimatum to the TV channel to wind up its operations in the state. "I challenge NETV to prove before the people that ULFA has received money from the Assam government. If it fails to do so within a month, it will have to leave Assam or else face dire consequences," Barua said.

Gogoi has taken the matter seriously and his government would file a case against NETV for the "malicious" news story. NETV is run by Manoranjana Sinh, wife of Matang Sinh, former Cabinet minister in the PV Narasimha Rao government and once a close-runner with Gogoi for the chief minister’s post in the state. Sinh is from Tinsukia which has a sizeable Hindi-speaking population and saw the maximum bloodbath earlier this month when ULFA targeted migrant kiln workers and daily wage earners from the heartland. Sinh had been expelled from the Congress for anti-party activities in 2000.

“It is a shocking that NETV has been threatened by a militant group for its stories and the government has done nothing about it except criticise the station as well,” said International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) General Secretary Aidan White. “The government should be protecting independent reporting in general and NETV in particular not joining forces with ULFA to intimidate media.”

Asom Bani editor Dileep Chandan. The ULFA leader subsequently said that Deka and Chakraborty had long been critical of the group, and Chandan had joined their "bandwagon". He cautioned Chandan not to "waver from the ethics of journalism".

The ULFA leader subsequently said that Deka and Chakraborty had long been critical of the group, and Chandan had joined their "bandwagon". He cautioned Chandan not to "waver from the ethics of journalism".

Denying their allegation that ULFA was interfering in the functioning of the media, Baruah said, "At a time when we are insistent on ethical journalism, these editors have proved that they are not only supporting but also practising yellow journalism. We don't ask the elderly editors to give up journalism and go on a pilgrimage. But we want (that) they stop running after money doled out by outside businessmen and bowing to their diktats."

Meanwhile, the Editors Guild of India on Thursday condemned the coercionary statements of ULFA against Deka and Chakraborty. Feeling slighted at ULFA’s “advice” to them to “quit” journalism, guild president Alok Mehta and secretary-general KS Sachidananda Murthy, in a press statement in New Delhi Thursday condemned the “coercive statements” of the proscribed outfit and said its stand was “totally unacceptable and an expression of intolerance.”

While upholding the right of editors to freely express their opinion, the guild said there should be no pressure on editors from governmental or non-governmental sources. It called upon editors and journalists in Assam to function fearlessly and extended its support to their right to practice journalism amidst the pressure tactics of those intolerant of a free press. The guild said it expected the government and civil society to extend protection to the editors and journalists of Dainik Agradoot and Dainik Asam to carry out their journalistic functions without any obstacle or threat.