Assam Journalists Hold Protest Over Attack on Media, Seek Justice for Zubeen Garg’s Death

The Kamrup District Journalists’ Association on Friday staged a two-hour sit-in protest in front of the Deputy Commissioner’s office, demanding justice for late singer Zubeen Garg and condemning the assault on journalists during the transfer of the accused to Baksa District Jail on October 15.

The protest was held under the call of the All Assam Journalists' Union (AAJU)  after a group of self-proclaimed fans of the late artist allegedly attacked a working journalist and set ablaze a DY365 vehicle.

The demonstration began with the lighting of lamps and floral tributes before a portrait of Zubeen Garg, where journalists from across the district paid homage to the beloved artist and extended condolences to his bereaved family.

Addressing the gathering, AAJU president Madhusudan Medhi expressed deep sorrow over Garg’s untimely demise, calling him “an irreplaceable icon whose passing has left Assam and the world in mourning.” He demanded a fair and time-bound investigation into the singer’s death and exemplary punishment for those found guilty.

Medhi also condemned the October 15 assault on journalists and the burning of a media vehicle in Baksa, terming it “a direct attack on press freedom.” He criticised the government for failing to ensure the safety of journalists on duty, urging the state to immediately enact a Journalist Protection Act during the upcoming session of the Assam Legislative Assembly.

AAJU vice-president Anjan Sharma, while addressing the protest, said that the people of Assam have not accepted Zubeen Garg’s death as mere news but as a personal loss.

He called for a transparent and impartial probe, adding that attacking journalists who are pursuing the truth is “a shameful failure of the Home Department.”

Sharma recalled the long list of journalists who sacrificed their lives in Assam’s history, from Munin Bora, the first martyred journalist from Tamulpur in 1986, to Parag Kumar Das and others, lamenting that successive governments have failed to deliver justice to their families.

He stressed that journalists have always been pivotal in amplifying both developmental input and people's concerns, while also facing threats and violence.

Prakash Deka, president of the Kamrup District Journalists' Association, reiterated the ask for a rigid legal framework that would protect journalists from encountering such violence in the future in a comprehensive manner.

He emphasised that working journalists deserve the same laws that protect doctors and bank people in respect to their employment.

At the conclusion of the protest's program, a memorandum to the Chief Minister Dr Himanta Biswa Sarma, through Kamrup Deputy Commissioner Dev Kumar Mishra, was received by Deka in exchange for convincing the government to get a speedy and impartial investigation into the death of Garg; they also called on the government to punish those responsible for beating up the Baksa journalists and to establish a Journalist Protection Act in Assam.

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