Guwahati, Nov 22 (PTI) A journalist of a Guwahati-based satellite channel has lodged a complaint with the police, accusing a former bureaucrat of threatening him and his family over a news broadcast recently.
Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said that Deka and the retired officer were apparently “old friends and are likely to “patch up soon”.
State Congress president Gaurav Gogoi criticised the CM for the “casual reaction” and said such an attitude is “unacceptable”.
The scribe, Rana Deka, in his complaint to the senior superintendent of police of Bajali on Friday, claimed that the retired IAS officer abused him over phone over a news item regarding the situation outside Baksa jail.
Violence had erupted outside the Baksa jail when five accused in the singer Zubeen Garg’s death case were shifted there under judicial custody in October.
The bureaucrat’s son, an Assam Police Service (APS) officer who was posted in Baksa, was on duty outside the jail to control the situation, and he was caught on camera baton-charging peaceful protestors.
A police officer said that a case has been registered based on the complaint, and an investigation has started into the matter.
Deka alleged that the ex-IAS officer told him to say that the broadcast video was morphed and threatened him with dire consequences if he failed to do so.
He had even threatened harm to Deka’s eight-year-old son, the journalist alleged in the complaint, while submitting audio recording of the telephonic conversation.
Sarma, talking to reporters on sidelines of a programme, said, “From what I have understood, they were in close touch from earlier time. They were sounding like old friends. Have to also consider whether the conversation was made with a ‘journalist’ or with ‘Rana’.” “If seems that both will patch up soon and become friends again,” he claimed.
Asked about the aspect of lack of security of journalists, Sarma retorted that if needed, PSOs (personal security officers) can be provided to the scribe who was asking the question.
On whether the case will be pursued, the CM, who also holds the Home department, said, “I can take the case but there should be no compromise later.” Congress leader Gogoi questioned the chief minister for “trivilasing” the matter.
“I strongly condemn the chief minister’s casual reaction to a life threat involving an 8-year-old child and journalist Rana Deka. The journalist was clearly terrified after hearing a threat to his young child, yet the CM brushed it off lightly,” Gogoi said in a post on X.
“Is this how he treats threats to citizens and their children? Will he provide security to everyone facing such danger, or will he continue dismissing these incidents?” he questioned.
The opposition leader maintained that such attitude is ‘unacceptable’ and a chief minister must protect the people, not trivialise their fear. PTI SSG NN SSG NN
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