GUWAHATI: Alleging that the city based press club had
‘designed to give space to a separatist leader of a banned armed
outfit which emerged as a terrorist outfit to threat the sovereignty
and integrity’ of India, an FIR has bene lodged against the president
and general secretary of Gauhati Press Club (GPC).
Senior journalist Biswajit Nath, who is a former general member of
GPC, lodged the compliant at Latashil police station in the city on
23 February 2021, arguing that the press club authority ‘organized a
formal audio interview with Paresh Barua (self-styled military chief
of United Liberation Front of Assam-Independent) at its auditorium’ by
6.30 pm on 21 February last.
GPC president Manoj Nath and general secretary Sanjay Ray was seen
(through various news channels’ live visuals) on dais of the club
auditorium waiting for the call from Barua with an aim to transfer it
to the sound system so that all reporters, who were present on the
occasion, could listen and interact subsequently.
“However, because of the interventions of the city police the program
could not be organised and it came to an abrupt end. But it is beyond
doubts that the present committee of Gauhati Press Club organized the
program and announced about it in advance. Notably, Ulfa (I) leader
Paresh Barua called them on time accordingly, ” said in the FIR.
Mentionable is that the dreaded militant leader is in the media as he
threatened to take punitive actions against two abducted Quippo Oil
and Gas Infrastructure Limited employees namely Pranab Kumar Gogoi
(hails from Sivasagar, Assam) and Ram Kumar (hails from Khagaria,
Bihar).
By then, the negotiations with the company management on ransom were
failed. Kidnapped from Dayun Khumsai drilling area in Changlang
district of Arunachal Pradesh on 21 December, both of them are still
under the custody of Ulfa (I).
“Now why necessary actions should not be taken under the unlawful
activities prevention act (1967) against Manoj Nath (c/o Niyomiya
Barta, Pride East Entertainment Private Limited, Christianbasti,
Guwahati, Assam, m-94350 89498) and Sanjay Ray (c/o The Assam Tribune,
Maniram Dewan Road, Chandmari, Guwahati, Assam, m-80117 45999), ”
questioned in the FIR.
Petitioner Nath, who prefers to introduce himself as a nationalist
scribe, did not forget to mention that since 1998, a group of brave
journalists and patriotic citizens hoisted National tri-colour in the
same press club premises defying the diktat of separatist militant
groups (including Ulfa).
They all took tremendous risk two decades back while paying tributes
to the martyrs of Freedom Movement as the militants threatened to
punish the participants in Independence Day and Republic Day
celebrations, asserted Nath finally urging the police to take
appropriate actions against the litigants ‘so that anti-national
mentality can be discouraged in this part of the country’.