GUWAHATI: Journalists in Assam have taken strong exception to Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma dragging in a journalist’s religious identity during an interaction with the media in Guwahati, on Wednesday, August 21.
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The incident has sparked resentment among the journalist fraternity in Assam.
The Gauhati Press Club (GPC) expressed its concern over the chief minister’s remarks, while noting the growing trend of political leaders responding disparagingly to journalists' questions.
"In the latest case, the honorable chief minister pulled the religious identity of a journalist into context without any apparent relevance during a press interaction on August 21", the GPC said in a statement on Thursday, August 22.
It urged political leaders to maintain dignity in their interactions with the media and avoid such incidents in the future.
The nascent Assam Women Journalists’ Forum (AWJF) also condemned the chief minister’s action, stressing that a journalist's job is to ask questions, and it is up to the person being questioned to respond appropriately. The AWJF highlighted that the remarks, which singled out the journalist's religious identity, were deeply concerning. It called on all those in authority to refrain from making such comments, allowing journalists to perform their duties without fear or bias. They also urged editors across the state to stand up for their journalists if they face similar attacks.
“The Assam Women Journalists’ Forum (AWJF) takes serious cognisance of a remark made by the Honourable Chief Minister of Assam during a recent press interaction with a journalist," the AWJF said.
"A journalist’s duty is to ask questions. To answer or not is the prerogative of the person being asked the question. However, in this case, the concerned journalist’s question was pulled out of context, with his religious identity foregrounded without any conceivable reason", AWJF stated.
Similarly, the Journalists' Union of Assam labeled the chief minister’s remarks as “derogatory” and unfortunate. They pointed out that by dragging the journalist's religious identity into the discussion, the chief minister had diminished his constitutional role. The union criticised the personal insults directed at the journalist and called for more respect towards the media.