Assam journalists skip meeting with CM Sarbananda Sonowal in solidarity with Citizenship Bill protesters

Amidst the protests against the Citizenship Amendment Bill, a meeting called by Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal with the media elicited a cold response on Thursday. According to a source, only five journalists honoured the invitation, from of them from national media organisations based in New Delhi.

“I got a call from the Press Adviser of the chief minister saying that Sonowal would like to interact with us at 3 pm. But when I arrived, there were only six of us present. The local press, almost entirely, did not turn up,” said a journalist who attended the meeting.

This came after Nitumoni Saikia, the editor of the Assamese news channel Pratidin Time, announced his refusal to attend the meeting earlier in the day. He was addressing a mass protest in Guwahati that had gathered defying the ongoing curfew.

“I publicly refuse to engage in any interaction with CM Sonowal today. Those who are responsible for letting my state burn, there is no point in having any ‘discussion’ with them,” he thundered. 

A legislation that seeks to grant Indian citizenship to refugees belonging to six religious communities (barring Muslims) from neighbouring Bangladesh, Pakistan and Afghanistan, the Citizenship Amendment Bill has unleashed fiery protests in Assam over the last few days. 

Against this backdrop, editors of other newspapers and TV channels adopted a stance similar to Saikia’s. According to Prasanta Rajguru, editor of the daily Amar Asom, there was no unanimous decision to skip the meeting. Yet, all of them took a call individually and did not participate, he added.

“My reason was simple — if the government was genuinely interested [to hear our views], they should have had this dialogue before passing the Citizenship Amendment Bill. What’s the point now?” Rajguru questioned.

Indeed, Thursday was a day of defiance in Guwahati. The capital of Assam, under an indefinite curfew since Wednesday evening, was in no mood to budge. As the morning unfolded, the protesters, slipping under the gaze of thousands of police, paramilitary and army personnel, started heading to the streets. 

Their destination was decided — the Latasil playground, a historic venue for mass gatherings in the city. Called by the influential All Assam Students’ Union, thousands gathered there and spoke out against the contentious Bill. 

Regarding Thursday’s meeting, some others felt “humiliated” and hence refused to meet the chief minister. “On a number of occasions in the past, he [Sonowal] assured us that he would respect our views regarding the Citizenship Amendment Bill. But he has completely betrayed us now,” said Nitya Bora, editor of Asomiya Pratidin, a popular Assamese daily. 

Failing to gather much of the state’s media for interaction, Sonowal later put out a video message on social media. Speaking in Assamese, he appealed the people to uphold law and order and social harmony. Those spreading “misinformation”, he cautioned, should refrain from doing so in order to maintain peace. 

In another development on Thursday, personnel from Assam police barged into the office premises of Prag News, an Assamese news channel, and beat up a few of its employees. The channel’s managing editor, Pranay Bordoloi, said the police’s attack was absolutely unprovoked.

“At around 6 pm, some policemen stormed into our premises and beat up our colleagues with lathis who were outside the building. Then they came upstairs and abused a few employees at the registration desk,” Bordoloi said over the phone.

While the incident invited sharp reactions from the media fraternity in Assam, the state police described it as an “unintended mistake”. 

“The policemen mistook the Prag News employees as ‘miscreants’ who had been creating a ruckus in the surrounding area. It was not deliberate. We have personally apologized to Prag News,” said Bhaskar Jyoti Mahanta, director general of the Assam police. 

Mahanta, however, said they were yet to identify the personnel involved in the matter. “Once we find out, we will think of appropriate action,” he added.

But journalists were reluctant to buy the police’s version. Bordoloi affirmed that his colleagues were sitting and talking peacefully inside the office premises. “And without asking any question, the policemen just came inside and targeted them. This is totally bizarre,” he shot back.

The assault came a day after the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting issued an advisory to TV channels in the state, listing out certain restrictions in covering the protests. The timing of the two events, some journalists argued, should be seen together.

“First the internet ban, then the restrictions on TV news coverage and now this assault on our colleagues…this is a pattern. By suppressing the voices of the protesters and the media alike, are they trying to replicate a Kashmir in Assam?” asked Nitya Bora of Asomiya Pratidin.

Incidentally, the owner of Prag News, Sanjive Narain, is a vice president of the News Broadcasters Federation of India, the newly formed broadcasters’ body in the country. The federation, which recently elected Republic TV’s Arnab Goswami as its president, is yet to come out with a statement on the incident.  

Asked about the silence, Naraine said they were taking time to discuss it before coming out with a statement. “The attack was really shocking and unfortunate. But considering the tense situation in the state now, we are treading carefully in order to avoid any further escalation,” he added.

Naraine, however, criticised the I&B ministry’s advisory. India is still a democracy and the government cannot stop the media and the public, he said. “If the voice of the media is sought to be blocked, I think it will boomerang on the government itself,” he warned.