- NET Web Desk
Amid the communal tensions proliferating across the northeastern state of Tripura, the recent detention of two women journalists by Assam Police have stood to be a major cause of concern for media fraternities. In an attempt to express its right to bring out facts, the Editors Guild of India (EGI) and Indian Women’s Press Corps (IWPC) on Sunday strongly condemned the detention based on a First Information Report (FIR) which alleged that both the journalists had maligned the image of Tripura government through their report regarding the recent communal incidents.
Identified as Samriddhi Sakunia and Swarna Jha, both the journalists working with HW News Network, who went to Tripura for preparing a report on the recent communal incidents, were detained by Assam Police on Sunday at Karimganj’s Neelam Bazar, adjacent to the border between the two states, informed the police officials.
The duo is being kept at a government-run shelter home for women for the night and will be handed over to the Tripura Police on Monday morning, informed a police official.
“Editors Guild condemns this action and demands their immediate release and restoration of their freedom to travel,” the EGI said in a statement.
Meanwhile, the IWPC have also condemned the detention of these journalists, demanding their immediate release.
“We understand that the two women journalists, Ms Sakuni and Ms Jha, are to be taken back to Tripura for questioning,” – asserted the IWPC.
“We demand that they be released immediately and be allowed to do their job. The two scribes were held by Assam Police on their way to Silchar airport on Sunday. The Assam Police informed them that they were being held as “Tripura Police asked (Assam Police) to detain them (the duo)” – added the women’s press community.
Its pertinent to note that both the journalists were named in an FIR at Tripura’s Fatikroy Police Station based on a complaint filed by a supporter of Vishwa Hindu Parishad, alleging of defaming the image of Tripura government by their reporting.
A senior police official in Agartala said that a team of officials from Dharmanagar has gone to Nilambazaar to bring these journalists.
As per PTI report, these journalists have been detained for uploading an image of a mosque torched in Gomati district, and a copy of the Holy Quran been damaged.
“Police suspect that the videos uploaded by her were doctored and police wanted to know if the videos were fake or true by interrogating them,” – further added the official.
Its worthy to note that the vested interests of several political groups and individuals, with an intent to escalate communal riots across the state have led authorities to write a letter to Twitter urging for providing details on 68 users.
It has also earlier served notice to 34 Facebook users, in connection to spreading distorted information on attacks in Muslim minority institutions in Tripura.
