By EuAsiaNews
Brussels : The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) condemned Friday what it said was a “ban” imposed on a daily newspaper, Asamiya Pratidin, by a political party in the north-eastern Indian state of Assam.
The IFJ, quoting the the Indian Journalists’ Union (IJU), said armed vigilantes belonging to the Bodo People’s Front (BPF), intercepted a delivery van belonging to the newspaper on February 25 in Kokrajhar district of Assam, and destroyed its entire cargo of the day’s edition, before setting the van ablaze.
The BPF, the IFJ statement noted , is a former insurgent group that now is the principal constituent of the Bodoland Territorial Council, a body created under the Indian constitution to safeguard the distinct cultural identity of the Bodo people of Kokrajhar and nearby districts.
The BPF was allegedly reacting to a report that appeared in the February 24 edition of Asamiya Pratidin, on an extravagant wedding ceremony held the previous day for its leader, Mr Hagrama Mohilary.
As a public figure holding a constitutional office, the IFJ reminded Mr Mohilary that he should be prepared to subject himself to media scrutiny in matters otherwise deemed personal.
The world’s largest journalists’ group called upon the Bodoland Territorial Council and the Assam state government, in which the BPF is a partner, to promptly condemn this attack on media freedom and bring those responsible to book.
“India has established grievance settlement processes in matters involving the press”, said Jacqueline Park, Director, IFJ Asia-Pacific. “Aggrieved individuals are at liberty to approach the Press Council of India or if warranted, the courts of law for redress, and not resort to armed vigilantism”.
The Brussels-based IFJ represents over 600,000 journalists in 120 countries.