Mamata condemns killing of journalist Sudip Datta Bhaumik in Tripura

Offering condolences to the family of the deceased, the WB CM tweeted: "We strongly condemn the brutal killing of journalist Sudip Dutta Bhowmik in Tripura. My condolences to the family of the deceased."

Journalist Sudip Datta Bhaumik was shot by a jawan of Second Tripura State Rifles (TSR) at Khayerpur Bodhjung Nagar area, outskirts of Agartala while he was busy at the area to collect news.

This is the second journalist killing incident in the state in two months.

According to the reports, Sudip had reached the area to meet the commandant of the Second TSR after obtaining proper appointment from the official.

When the journalist reached the area there he had an altercation with a PSO of the commandant and the jawan shot the journalist from zero range.

The seriously injured journalist was rushed to the nearest hospital but he succumbed to his injuries.

A top police official said that, police had already arrested the PSO named Tapan Debbarma.

Police had sent the body Bhaumik, a journalist of Syandan Patrika, a leading Bengali newspaper of Tripura and a local news channel Venguard, to Gobinda Ballav Panth Medical College and Hospital in Agartala for postmortem.

On September 20 last, Shantanu Bhaumik, a journalist of a local news channel Din-Raat was killed by a mob near Agartala while he had gone to the area to cover an incident of clash between CPI(M) and IPFT members, supporters.

On the other hand, Journalists’ Forum Assam (JFA) has strongly condemned the repeated murder of scribes in Tripura within two months and urged the Manik Sarkar led government in Agartala to take serious note of the development.

The scribe’s forum expressed utter dismay that the tiny State of northeast India has lost one more journalist on Tuesday.

"Tripura lost a young journalist (Shantanu Bhowmik) to assailants on Sept 20 and within 60 days the State has reported one more journo-murder. It is very much shocking and frustrating. The State chief minister, also in charge of home portfolio, must take his call with sincerity," said a JFA statement.

With Sudip’s killing,  India has lost ten  journalists in eleven months of the year.

The  largest democracy in the globe earlier witnessed the murder of journalist Rajesh Mishra in Uttar Pradesh on Oct  21.

The string of journo-killings began with Hari Prakash (killed on Jan 2) and the trend continued with the murders of Brajesh Kumar Singh (Jan 3), Shyam Sharma (May 15), Kamlesh Jain (May 31), Surender Singh Rana ( July 29), Gauri Lankesh (Sept 5), Shantanu Bhowmik (Sept 20) and KJ Singh (Sept 23).

India is ranked 136th among 180 countries in its RSF’s  World Press Freedom Index (2017), which is just ahead of its neighbors Pakistan  (139th), Sri Lanka (141) and Bangladesh (146).

The populous country lost six journalists to perpetrators in 2016, which was preceded by five cases in 2015.

"It is alarming that the number of journo-murders has increased the drastically this year. The Union government in New Delhi must not buy more time for formulating a strict policy to safeguard the media persons and ensure justice to the victim families," added the statement issued by JFA president Rupam Barua and secretary Nava Thakuria.