Journalists’ Forum Assam (JFA) readies to welcome 2021 with hopes

N.J. Thakuria,Guwahati: Journalists’ Forum Assam (JFA), while expressing dismay over the increasing the number of journalists killed and died of Covid-19 across the country  this year, expects a better 2021. The forum reveals that India emerges as the most dangerous country with 13 journo-killings where the country’s media fraternity lost over 50 journalists to corona-complications  till date in 2020. “Assam witnessed the killings of two journalists where Bijendeep Tanti (32) was found  murdered  on 8 August at his rented office in Tinsukia.

Lately, Kakopathar based television journalist Parag Bhuyan (55) died in a mysterious road accident on 11 November night. The government ordered a CID probe into the incident and the police seized the vehicle that hit Bhuyan and arrested its driver and handyman,” said a JFA statement.Within the month of September, Assam lost three media persons to novel corona virus infection aggravated ailments. 

First it was the turn for rural reporter Dhaneswar Rabha (35) to succumb to Covid-29 at Guwahati medical college hospital on 6  September. In fact, Rabha was the first scribe in northeast India to die of Covid-19. Next day, senior journalist Ashim Dutta (65) from Barak valley passed away with the infection at   Silchar medical college hospital. Guwahati based news presenter in All India Radio,  Golap Saikia (52) died with corona-infections on 26 September at a city-based private hospital. Lately, Jitendra Debbarma (46), who worked for a Kakborok language cable channel in  Tripura lost his battle against the corona infections on 20 October.