Guwahati: A journalist from an Assamese news channel was seriously injured after being allegedly assaulted by a mob while reporting on panchayat election-related developments in Dhemaji district, police said on Saturday.
The incident took place on Friday at Dimow Pathar, where Madhurjya Saikia was attacked by a group of over 25 individuals armed with sticks.
Saikia later filed a complaint at Silapathar Police Station, alleging that members of a local organisation were behind the attack.
Police have registered a case and launched an investigation. Saikia is currently undergoing treatment at a hospital in Dibrugarh, where his condition is said to be stable.
The Takam Mising Porin Kebang (TMPK), a Mising student body named in the complaint, has denied involvement.
In a social media statement, TMPK president Tilak Doley asserted that neither he nor any member of the organisation had any role in the incident.
“TMPK holds the press in the highest regard,” he added.
Responding to the attack, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said the matter is under police investigation and that it is the responsibility of law enforcement to identify and arrest those responsible.
This marks the second attack on journalists in Assam within a week.
On June 29, Bimaljyoti Nath, a local television journalist, and his colleague were assaulted in Dhekiajuli while returning from covering alleged illegal mining activities.
ALSO READ: Nagaland: Heavy rain triggers landslides, flooding in Kohima and Dimapur
Commenting on the broader issue of journalist safety, the chief minister expressed concern over divisions within the media fraternity.
“There is no unity among journalists,” he remarked, citing conflicting responses from different media groups following the Dhekiajuli incident.
“You have become like us—BJP, Congress, AGP, and UPPL. In fact, we have more unity than you,” he added during a media interaction in Baksa.
