Agartala: The Belonia police have booked two Assam Rifles jawans for assaulting a journalist in Satmura area of Belonia sub-division, about 90 km from here.
The victim journalist, Ashok Dasgupta, who works with a local news channel, was allegedly assaulted by two brothers, Ranjan Nandi and Sanjay Nandi, who are allegedly deployed as jawans with the Assam Rifles.
According to Dasgupta, he was on his way to the South Tripura District Magistrate’s office on Wednesday he the brothers stopped him with verbal abuses.
“I was first stopped by the two brothers in the Satmura area in the evening while I was out for a story. They started abusing me and soon they started thrashing me on the ground. I tried to speak with them but both of them were intoxicated,” Dasgupta said.
However, locals came to Dasgupta’s rescue and rushed him to Belonia sub-division hospital. The doctors on duty referred him to Tripura Medical College in Agartala, where he is undergoing treatment.
Speaking with EastMojo, Dasgupta said that last year he had covered a news story with names of the accused brothers in it. “The brothers work with Assam Rifles, and are also involved in several anti-social activities here in Belonia.”
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“They had threatened me with dire consequences previously. On Wednesday, they found me alone on the way, stopped me and started assaulting me,” Dasgupta added.
The Belonia police officials later rushed to the hospital and registered a case under sections 341, 323, and 34 of Indian Penal Code (IPC) against the two accused.
However, even after three days of the incident the police are yet to arrest the accused persons.
Investigation officer on the case, Sub-inspector Kalipada Das said case against the two was registered, based on which raid was conducted to arrest the accused persons.
However, both the accused were granted pre-arrest bail by the Session Judge, Belonia, South Tripura.
According to information, both Ranjan Nandi and Sanjay Nandi are jawans in the Assam Rifles and currently deployed in Dimapur and Kohima towns of Nagaland. They were reportedly on leave last week.
“We will investigate the case and a letter to the Assam Rifles authorities will be sent shortly,” SI Das said.
The Forum for Development and Protection of Media Community (FDPMC), a body of media workers in Tripura, has also condemned the attack on Ashok Dasgupta.
The FDPMC has submitted a memorandum to the Tripura police chief demanding immediate arrest of the accused persons.
