(RSF/IFEX) – RSF is protesting the arrests of three senior journalists in the state of Assam. According to RSF’s information, on 10 February 1999, Naresh Kalita, news editor of the vernacular daily “Agradoot”, was arrested by the police on charges of aiding and abetting separatist militants. A police statement said that he was jailed after […]
(RSF/IFEX) – RSF is protesting the arrests of three senior journalists
in the state of Assam. According to RSF’s information, on 10 February
1999, Naresh Kalita, news editor of the vernacular daily “Agradoot”, was
arrested by the police on charges of aiding and abetting separatist
militants. A police statement said that he was jailed after the
confessions of a militant of the United Liberation Front of Assom (ULFA)
and that a Sten gun magazine, pistol cartridges and incriminating
documents were found in his house. Despite these accusations, his
colleagues alleged “it is a conspiracy by the
Assam government to gag the voice of the press.” The “Agradoot” group
management said that Kalita was only guilty of “writing a series of
reports highlighting the wrong policies of the ruling government.”
In another incident, the police arrested and held two other journalists
for three days. Jitendra Kumar Jain and Anil Mazumdar, respectively
managing editor and editor of the Nalbari-based weekly “Nisha”, were
kept in detention after they published a report containing controversial
issues critical of the local governement.
Recommended Action
Send appeals to the Prime Minister:
whether Kalita was arrested because of his reporting
case and the reports he wrote do not contain any incitement to hatred
remind him that, as India is a democracy, the pluralism of the press
must be respected in every state of the country
Appeals To
His Excellency Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee
Office of the Prime Minister
New Delhi, India
Fax: +91 11 301 6857
Please copy appeals to the source if possible.
