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Guwahati: Expressing serious concern over the situation compelling arrests of two news portal editors in Assam of northeast India recently, a scribe’s forum in northeast India insists on effective guidelines for all digital news platforms. Journalists’ Forum Assam (JFA) also opined in a statement today, the growth of digital news outlets in the recent remains haphazard.
Mentioning about the recent arrest of PratibimbaLive’s chief editor Taufiquddin Ahmad and news editor Asif Iqbal Hussain for spreading malicious news contents on Assam’s senior minister Dr Himanta Biswa Sarma, the forum revealed that Assam police have arrested both of them under various sections of the IPC and POCSO Act as Sarma’s minor daughter was dragged into the controversy.
Many others including portal reporters and social media users namely Puli Muchchary, N Nayanmoni Gogoi, Najrul Hussain, Najmul Haque, Mijul Ali etc were also detained or arrested in the same case as the State police had warned that necessary actions would be taken against all persons irrespective of their place of residence who may use any of the social media platforms for furthering the conspiracy.
JFA president Rupam Barua reiterates the old demand to bring both television news channels and portals under the purview of Press Council of India (PCI) if necessary changing its nomenclature as Media Council of India (MCI). He also advocates more teeth to the autonomous, statutory and quasi judicial body which would serve as a watchdog for newspapers, news agencies, news channels, digital news platforms and may censure those news outlets for any violation.
“Meanwhile, disturbing news are pouring about the incident of vandalism at a media office in Jorhat, abusing news reporters in different public places, arrest of an Assam based portal reporter in stealing cases, burning the effigy of a senior Assamese television anchor exposing his act of soliciting business with corporates, etc,” concluded the JFA statement requesting all working journalists to get united with clear conscience and wisdom.
