Fear grips media in Assam due to killing of veteran journalist

Guwahati, March 27 (ANI): The recent killing of a veteran journalist of a Assamese daily by unidentified gunmen here have sent shock waves across the media fraternity here.

Anil Majumdar, a journalist and Executive Editor of Aji, an Assamese daily, was shot on point blank range in front of his house in Guwahati, the main city of Assam state. Doctors declared him dead on arrival at the International Hospital in Christian Basti.

Majumdar had been campaigning for peace talks between United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA) and the government.

Majumdar is today survived by his wife and two daughters. He is remembered as a courageous journalist whose death is being viewed as a great loss to the media and Assam.

"This is very wrong and will affect the Journalist fraternity. It is a great loss. With his death, Assam has lost a courageous journalist," said Dr. Bhumidhar Barman, the Revenue Minister of Assam.

Meanwhile, the Journalists' Action Committee of Assam has submitted a memorandum to the government demanding punishment for the culprits and ensuring security of mediapersons.

Several social organizations have condemned the killing.

"There should not be any doubt and any argument on this point that the journalists in Assam are really very insecure," said Ajit Bhuyan, a senior journalist.

" Whatever is happening here; the blasts or killing of journalists, these things should not happen in future. We should follow the ideology of Mahatma Gandhi and move forward," said Uttam Kalita, a social worker.

Hundreds of journalists gathered to pay tribute to the deceased.

The killing came days after security officials warned journalists that rebel groups could target them ahead of the general elections.

Police department is expected to take its own time to identify and arrest the actual perpetrators of the crime.

"We have to wait and see. Everything has to be based on evidence," said G.M. Shrivastav, Director General of Police (DGP), Assam, said.

ver 22 journalists have been killed in Assam in the last six years. By Peter Alex Todd (ANI)