Himanta Sara;reference was to Dilwar Hussain Mozumder, journalist from a city-based news portal, who was arrested under the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.
Guwahati:Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said today that those working for online portals are not recognized as journalists under the state government's rules. His reference was to Dilwar Hussain Mozumder, journalist from a city-based news portal, who was arrested under the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.
The journalist was accused of abusing a guard of the Assam Cooperative Apex Bank. He got a bail from a court in Guwahati, but was arrested again today in another case.
Amid massive protests from the media, the Chief Minister, in a post on X, said: "It has come to my notice that some media houses have reported the arrest of a journalist by Assam Police. I would like to clarify that Assam Police has not arrested any journalist in recent times".
Mr Sarma categorically said the Directorate of Information and Public Relations does not officially recognize journalists from online news portals.
"I believe he is just an individual, and there is speculation that he is a businessman. He owns dumpers and operates as a part-time journalist for a portal that is promoted by a politician," he added, questioning how it could be determined if he went to the bank for news coverage or other purposes.
He said if the protesting journalists provide him with a written statement affirming that he is a journalist and take full responsibility, "I will release him right now".
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