Guwahati, Mar 25 (PTI) Several bundles of an Assamese daily were burnt in Assam’s Sivasagar district on Wednesday, drawing sharp political reactions in the poll-bound state.
Opposition parties claimed that members of the ruling BJP were behind the incident, while the saffron party also condemned the burning of the newspapers and demanded arrest of the culprits.
Journalists’ bodies have also decried the incident.
Several bundles of Tuesday’s and Wednesday’s Dibrugarh edition of ‘Asomiya Pratidin’ were burned by unidentified persons near Joysagar area of Sivasagar this morning.
Reacting to the incident, Pratidin Media Network Director Rishi Baruah said in an X post: “After death, the body is consigned to fire. The flames may reduce it to ashes but they cannot erase the life that was lived, the truth that existed.” “You can set fire to printed pages. You can try to silence a story. But truth also lives in people’s minds, in people’s conversations, in people’s memory, in people’s conscience. Your flames can destroy paper, not the story,” he added.
Asked for his reaction to the incident on the sidelines of a campaign meeting, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said he was not aware of it as he was busy with the elections.
Local MLA Akhil Gogoi, who is seeking re-election from the seat, alleged the involvement of BJP members, especially supporters of the ruling party’s candidate from Sibsagar constituency.
“Our party workers saw local BJP members Pinku Dutta, Partha Bora and others burning the newspapers and video-recorded it. We demand that the police arrest them immediately, along with the BJP candidate,” the Raijor Dal president said.
After initially leaving this eastern Assam seat for Asom Gana Parishad (AGP), the BJP also fielded its candidate and the two allies are now likely to engage in a “friendly contest” in the constituency, while Gogoi also remains in the fray.
AICC general secretary and Assam in-charge Jitendra Singh said the state is “witnessing a dangerous crackdown on freedom of expression”.
“Those in power cannot silence the voice of the people through fear and intimidation. The burning of @pratidinasomiya newspapers at Kawaimari in Sivasagar is not an isolated incident, it is a direct assault on democracy itself,” he said in an X post.
He maintained that the incident “reflects the ugly face of a government that is intolerant of criticism and resorts to intimidation instead of accountability”.
“Such acts are nothing short of political hooliganism, encouraged by a system that thrives on suppressing dissent,” he said.
Pointing to allegations about the involvement of individuals linked to the BJP, he said it makes it even more critical for the investigation to be independent, transparent, and free from political influence.
“@assampolice and @ECISVEEP must act immediately, not as silent spectators, but as custodians of the Constitution,” Singh asserted.
State Congress president Gaurav Gogoi termed it an attack on the fourth pillar of democracy.
“Today, one media house has been threatened, tomorrow another could be targeted. All have to stand united against it,” he said.
Hinting at involvement of the ruling party behind the incident, Gogoi maintained that Sarma’s “equations are not aligning after the opposition finalised its alliance and several acts are proving it”.
The Assam Jatiya Parishad (AJP), which is part of the six-party opposition alliance along with Congress and Raijor Dal, also said it was an attack on freedom of the press.
“This attack exposes their fascist character. The threat to freedom of press continues under this present regime,” AJP president Lurinjyoti Gogoi said.
All Assam Students’ Union (AASU) president Utpal Sarma, in a post on X, called the incident “trampling of democracy”.
“I condemn this reprehensible attempt to gag the fourth pillar. I demand a swift, impartial investigation into this incident and punishment for the culprits,” he said.
Condemning the incident, BJP’s state media department convener Rupam Goswami said in a statement, “In a democratic country, any act of oppression against the media is unacceptable under any circumstances.” The party urged the administration to promptly identify those involved and ensure strict punishment, and also appealed to all sections of society to uphold democratic values and refrain from any actions targeting the media in the future.
Several media organisations, including the Gauhati Press Club, Journalists Union of Assam and Youth Journalists Association of Assam, have condemned the incident and demanded the immediate arrest of those behind it. PTI SSG SSG ACD
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