GUWAHATI: After widespread criticism, All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF) chief and MP, Maulana Badruddin Ajmal tweeted an apology on Wednesday after he threatened a journalist during a press briefing in Hatsingimari, South Salmara Mankachar district.
Ajmal shouted abuses, yanked a journalist’s mic and threw it at him when he was asked if his party would go with Congress party or remain with the Bharatiya Janata Party on Wednesday. Ajmal also threatened to smash the head of the reporter who asked this question.
This incident has created a lot of anger among journalists across the nation after the video footage showing Ajmal behaving unprofessionally, calling a reporter names and trying to hit him went viral.
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“The incident which took place today was not intentional. The concerned reporter used to ask silly question everytime. Media is the fourth pillar of democracy and I have always respected media persons and everybody knows that I have sincere regards for them. The Mankachar incident was an unintentional aberration and I sincerely apologise for that to all concerned,” tweeted Ajmal on Twitter using his official handle.
It should also be noted that after Ajmal got into a fight with the journalist, the supporters of the AIUDF supremo forced the journalist to apologise in public.
Ajmal’s misbehavior has caused major reactions everywhere. In Guwahati, journalists protested against the incident by wearing black badges. Journalists of Tihu in Nalbari, approximately 283 km from the place of occurrence of the incident, staged a protest on the road in the centre of the town by burning Ajmal’s effigy just hours after the incident. The scribes were joined by Tihu’s regional students’ union and the Nalbari wing of Assam Jatiyatabadi Yuba Chhatra Parishad (AJYCP) and other local people.
Asam State Journalists Association president Jitu Sarma condemned Ajmal’s behaviour and said that the MP should learn how to behave properly with reporters and the All Assam Minority Students’ Union (AAMSU) demanded Ajmal be arrested for misbehaving with journalist.
