Journalist bodies condemn Assam scribe’s arrest, seek CM’s intervention

The father of the journalist is said to have suffered a heart attack after the arrest and died hours later

Journalists organizations in Assam have requested Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal to intervene in a matter related to arrest of a journalist allegedly for his reporting about cattle smuggling.

The journalist was arrested following a complaint filed by the divisional forest officer of Dhubri. (Representative image)

Rajiv Sharma, a journalist belonging to a local TV channel and based in lower Assam’s Dhubri, was arrested by the police early Thursday on charges of extortion, outraging the modesty of a woman, criminal intimidation etc. following a complaint filed by divisional forest officer Biswajit Roy.

Reports quoting Sharma said that he was falsely implicated in an extortion case for his continuous reporting on cases of cattle smuggling by criminal syndicates in Dhubri district which borders Bangladesh.

The journalist’s father, Sudhin Sharma, suffered a heart attack at his residence in Gauripur near Dhubri after the arrest and later died.

Terming the arrest as ‘unfortunate’, the Guwahati Press Club has asked CM Sonowal, who handles the home portfolio, to intervene in the matter and ensure that Sharma is not unnecessarily harassed in the name of investigation.

The Journalists Forum of Assam also expressed shock at the arrest and demanded unconditional release of the scribe.

Sharma was granted interim bail for three days by a court on Thursday and performed his father’s last rites in Gauripur.