Arrests – Journalists

The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) joins its affiliate the Indian Journalists Union (IJU) in condemning the arrest of television journalist Jaikhlong Brahma on Tuesday night, September 2 in Kokrajhar town of Assam state of India.

According to reports, the Assam Police arrested Brahma, who works for a Guwahati-based private news channel News Live, on charges of “providing information to the extremists about the movement of security forces in advance and instigating the cadres of the National Democratic Front of Boroland (NDFB – Songbijit) to indulge in violent activities such as killing of innocent persons, sources or informers”. Brahma faced the Court of Chief Judicial Magistrate, Kokrajhar on Wednesday and was remanded in custody for five days.

Assam Police spokesman and Deputy Inspector-General of Police Apurba Jibon Barua told The Hindu that police had recovered evidence against the journalist and said he was “voluntarily promoting and knowingly facilitating the violent acts of the banned outfit and compromising national security”. The Journalists Union of Assam (JUA), an affiliate of IJU, has said that the allegations against Brahma are totally false and came as a result of tussle between the local journalists and police. They allege that Brahma was arrested for an interview with a leader of the NDFB.