Expressing shock at the brutal murder of a young television journalist in Tripura, the Journalists’ Forum Assam (JFA) demanded a high-level probe into the incident and urged the Manik Sarkar-led Left government to book the culprits under the law.
The forum also reiterated its old demand for a special protection law for journalists on duty.
The reports from Agartala narrate that Shantanu Bhowmik, 29, who was associated with a local news channel titled DinRaat, faced the attacks when he went to cover a gory clash between two parties namely Indigenous People’s Front of Tripura (IPFT) and Communist Party of India (Marxist)’s tribal wing Tripura Rajaer Upajati Ganamukti Parishad (TRUGP) at Mandai in west Tripura on September 22.
Seriously injured Shantanu was taken to a government hospital, but the attending doctors declared him brought dead.
Shantanu becomes the seventh Indian victim-journalist this year after the murder of Bengaluru-based editor-journalist and social activist Gauri Lankesh (55).
“Tripura thus repeated its shameful record on journo-murder after three years. Shantanu’s killing on duty hours also reminds the challenges and risks faced by the working journalists of Northeast India. We also extend moral support to the agitating journalists of Tripura for their endeavour to justice,” said a statement issued by JFA president Rupam Barua and secretary Nava Thakuria.
