On 17 May 1996, journalist and human rights activist Parag Kumar Das was shot by unidentified gunmen in Guwahati, in the northeastern state of Assam. Das, the editor-in-chief of the daily "Asomiya Pratidin", was picking his son up from school when three men drove up in an automobile and opened fire. Das was shot at least eight times. His seven year-old son, Rohan Das, sustained an injury to his right hand, but is reportedly in stable condition. The gunmen fled the scene immediately after the shooting.

Das was also General Secretary of the Assamese human rights organisation Manab Adhikar Sangram Samiti (MASS) and publisher of its monthly newsletter, "Voice of MASS", which documented human rights abuses by police forces in the strife-torn state. A proponent of self-rule for Assam, Das had recently published an interview in "Asomiya Pratidin" with the leader of the separatist group United Liberation Front of Assam (ULFA). Das's colleagues in Assam suspect that his assassination was carried out by a splinter group of the ULFA that allegedly has ties to the previous administration in Assam. State police had arrested Das twice, in March 1992 and February 1993, under the National Security Law and the Terrorist and Disruptive Activities (Prevention) Act, which is no longer in force. The laws, which allowed prolonged detention without trial, were apparently invoked against Das in connection with his human rights reporting and articles about the ULFA. In December 1993, police raided Das's office and home, seizing copies of a book he had written about Assam and manuscripts of articles he had published in "Boodhbar", the newspaper he was then editing.

(CPJ/IFEX) - Ajit Bhuyan, editor of the widely read Assamese-language newspaper "Asomiya Protidin" ("Assamese Daily") and its sister paper, the Assamese-language weekly "Sadin" ("Seven Days"), has been the target of repeated arrests since August 1997. According to news reports, Bhuyan has been linked by state authorities to the banned United Liberation Front of Assam (ULFA) and with complicity in the kidnapping and murder of social activist Sanjay Ghosh, who died while in ULFA custody. Since 25 August, he has been arrested and charged with related crimes four times. Most recently, on 1 October, he was accused of having ties to the ULFA and charged under the National Security Act with "trying to wage war against the country."

Bhuyan, who is in very poor health, is currently hospitalized in the Assam Medical College Hospital under judicial custody.

Local journalists note that Bhuyan is respected by his colleagues and his papers are held up as examples of critical reporting in the midst of a tense separatist conflict.

Around midnight, Avirook Sen, a correspondent for the news magazine, India Today, and his wife, Suparna Sharma, a reporter for the English-language daily newspaper The Indian Express, were beaten by policemen in Guwahati, Assam. Sen and Sharma were on their way home from a friend's house. Just as they were about to take an autorickshaw, a police patrol jeep blocked their way. Two policemen got out of the jeep and charged to either side of their rickshaw. The policemen refused to recognize their press identification cards, dragged Sen out of the rickshaw by the collar and interrogated him while beating him up. When Sharma begged them to stop, the police responded by beating her severely. The police took the two journalists to the Chandmari police station. They were not allowed to make a phone call. They were taken to a nearby hospital and treated. Sen and Sharma filed a case with a local police station. Local journalists condemned the attack, which they believed to be related to Sen's work as a journalist. CPJ included the attack on Sen and Sharma in a February 25 letter to the Indian government, protesting the various abuses against journalists working in Assam.

Police arrested four senior officials of the News Division of the Guwahati, Assam, bureau of the official Indian television network, Doordarshan, and charged them Section 153A(1) of the Indian Penal Code with promoting disharmony between Assamese Hindus and the indigenous Bodo community. The arrests were made on orders from Praffula Mahanta, Assam's Chief Minister. Medhi, Doordarshan's joint director; Malakar, the news editor; Bordoloi, the assistant news editor; and Tamuly, the network's news producer, were taken from their respective homes late in the evening and held in the Geeta Nagar Police Station. They were released the next day on bail of R10,000 (nearly US$300) apiece pending trial, but face stiff fines and imprisonment of up to five years each if convicted. A press release issued by the state government said that Doordarshan's January 14 broadcast, about a January 13 attack by Bodo militants that left at least 18 dead, contained "highly inflammatory words and visual representations." On February 25, CPJ wrote to India's Prime Minsiter Inder Kumar Gujral, expressing concern over the government's actions against Doordarshan and detailing several attacks against the press in Assam.

(CPJ/IFEX) - On 7 February 1998, Prakash Mahanta, a reporter for the newly founded Assamese-language weekly newspaper "Natoon Somoy" (New Times) was assaulted and detained. His assault is the latest in a series of attacks against journalists in Assam.

According to CPJ, a group of Assamese police officers known locally as the "Black Panthers", led by Superintendent of Police Harmit Singh, raided Mahanta's house in Nagaon, took him into custody and destroyed furnishings in the residence. The police blindfolded Mahanta and beat him with an iron stick while shouting, "We'll teach you a lesson for writing against the Chief Minister and his wife!" The police also assaulted Mahanta's mother and wife when they tried to intervene. Bleeding severely, Mahanta was taken to the Nagaon Sadar Police Station . He remains in judicial custody by order of the Judicial Magistrate of Nagaon on charges believed to be related to articles he has written recently in "Natoon Samoy." He is in need of hospitalization for his injuries but has reportedly been denied appropriate medical treatment.

In a recent article, Mahanta exposed alleged campaign irregularities and corrupt practices by Dr. Jayashree Goswami Mahanta, the wife of Assam's Chief Minister Prafulla Kumar Mahanta, who is running for a parliamentary seat representing Nagaon in the ongoing Indian general elections. For the past year, Mahanta has regularly reported the misdeeds of local officials, including Chief Minister Mahanta. The journalist and the chief minister are not related.

Anytime a journalist is hurt and imprisoned in retaliation for his or her reporting, it sends a chilling message to the entire profession. CPJ is concerned that the attack on Mahanta may be part of a sustained offensive against the press in Assam. On 15 January 1998, four Assam-based journalists with the national television network, Doordarshan Kendra, were arrested by local authorities for broadcasting a news item which allegedly heightened communal tensions in Assam. On 12 January 1998, Assamese police beat Avirook Sen, the Assam correspondent for "India Today" magazine and his wife, Suparna Sharma, a reporter for "The Indian Express" newspaper, and briefly detained the couple. Ajit Bhuyan, the founding editor of "Natoon Samoy", has been a frequent target of police harassment in Assam, having been arrested at least four times in 1997 (not previously reported by IFEX).

(CPJ/IFEX) - In late November 1997, the Advisory Committee, the local administrative body for the National Security Act (NSA), concluded that the grounds for detaining Ajit Bhuyan, former editor of the Assamese-language daily newspaper "Asomiya Protidin" and its sister paper, the Assamese-language weekly "Sadin", were not acceptable and ordered his release. Following this decision, the central government immediately dismissed the members of the committee. Bhuyan was immediately re-arrested by the Nagaon Police for having ties to the banned United Liberation Front of Assam (ULFA). Bhuyan, who was in very poor health, had been hospitalized at the Assam Medical College Hospital, under judicial custody. He was released from judicial custody on 3 December 1997, and returned home from the hospital on 13 December 1997.

**Updates IFEX alert dated 23 October 1997**

Upon being released from judicial custody, Bhuyan was fired by Jayanta Barua, the owner of the "Asomiya Protidin" and "Sadin" newspapers, who had been threatened with arrest under the NSA if he failed to fire Bhuyan. Bhuyan has since launched his own newspaper, the Assamese-language weekly newspaper "Natoon Somoy" (New Times).

Background Information

Bhuyan was originally arrested on 25 August 1997, when state authorities linked him to the ULFA and accused him of complicity in the kidnapping and murder of social activist Sanjay Ghosh, who died while being held by ULFA members. Since 25 August, Bhuyan has been arrested four times and charged with related crimes. On 1 October 1997, he was arrested and accused of having ties to the ULFA and charged under the NSA with "attempting to wage war against the country."

CPJ believes that Bhuyan was targeted by authorities because of "Asomiya Protidin" and "Sadin"'s coverage of the separatist conflict in northeastern India.

(RSF/IFEX) - According to information released by RSF on 18 May 1998, Dhiren Chakravarty and Atanu Bhuyan, editor and executive editor respectively, of the Guwahati-based daily "Ajir Batori", were woken up and arrested at 3:00 a.m. (local time) on Friday 15 May, by Assam state policemen (in the northwestern state of Assam). They are charged with defaming Parliament and its members after the publication, on 21 March 1998, of an article critical of Parliament. They were taken to the Assembly to bow down before the deputies. After they refused to do so, the Speaker ordered the two journalists to be jailed for one day.

Earlier, in April 1998, Atanu Bhuyan was physically assaulted by unidentified men at his house. The attackers are believed to have links with the Assamese ruling party.

RSF is very worried by these new infringements of press freedom. Dhiren Chakravarty and Atanu Bhuyan are, at least, the third and fourth journalists arrested in the last five months.

(RSF/IFEX) - According to information made available by RSF on 17 July 1998, on 12 July 1998, Puyam Theiba, a reporter for the local newspaper "Panthungfam", was assaulted and injured by army soldiers in the state of Manipur when they raided his house. They claimed that the journalist was involved in anti-Indian activities.

Meanwhile, at Nalbari, in the state of Assam, Arup Kumar Sarma, editor of the magazine "Chitranjalee", was also assaulted by soldiers. They left quickly and gave no explanation for their action.

RSF is very worried about these new infringements of press freedom. More and more journalists are assaulted in the north-east of India by the police and the army.

(CPJ/IFEX) - According to CPJ, on 18 July 1998, Assamese editor Ajit Kumar Bhuyan was assaulted by armed men. Bhuyan was threatened, his residence ransacked, and his family terrorized by the incident, which is the latest in a series of arrests and threats made against Bhuyan in recent years.

Bhuyan, the editor of the Assamese-language weekly newspaper "Natun Samoy", was at home with his family in Guwahati on Saturday, 18 July 1998, at around 8:45 p.m. (local time), when a group of about 20 armed men in civilian clothes surrounded his residence. They shouted at the family in Hindi to come outside and threatened to open fire if the order was not obeyed.

Once the occupants left the house with their hands raised, the armed men forced Bhuyan to accompany them inside the house. They searched and ransacked the entire three-story building, which also houses the offices of Bhuyan's newspaper. According to Bhuyan, nothing was taken from the residence or the office.

Bhuyan later told reporters that he felt his life was in danger and that he was being targeted because of his newspaper's criticism of the Indian Army in Assam. "I strongly feel that the Army has become a constant threat to the lives of honest Indian citizens who have been speaking out for the oppressed masses", he said.

After the raid, military authorities in Assam faxed a letter to local newspapers denying responsibility for the incident. "It is likely that some people may be operating in various places posing as Army personnel and conducting 'raids'", the fax said. Bhuyan was informed privately by local police officials that they had no prior knowledge of or involvement in the raid, despite laws that require army units to be accompanied by local police or magistrates on investigative raids.

Bhuyan believes that those who participated in the attack were soldiers because they spoke Hindi, which is not the local language, and because he recognized one of the men as an army captain. Other than the brief denial sent to the newspapers, no official statements explaining the incident have been made by police, military, or governmental authorities.

As a well-known journalist in Assam, Bhuyan's stinging attacks on the Indian army and local corruption have frequently brought him into conflict with the government. He was arrested four times in 1997 under various national security laws. He was arrested the same year for complicity in the kidnapping and murder of social activist Sanjay Ghosh. In each instance, he was released and never tried nor convicted of any crime (see IFEX alert of 23 October 1997).

The current attack on Bhuyan has a chilling similarity to events prior to the 1996 murder of Assamese editor Parag Kumar Das, with whom Bhuyan worked closely. Before he was killed, Das had been repeatedly charged with crimes for which he was never tried and his home was raided by military authorities. His murder remains unsolved (see IFEX alert of 22 May 1996).

CPJ decries the harassment of Bhuyan and fears that without immediate intervention by higher authorities, Bhuyan may be killed.

(RSF/IFEX) - RSF is protesting the new press censorship decided by the Manipur government. According to RSF, during the first week of October 1998, the government of the state of Manipur (northern India) ordered the local media not to publish or distribute statements by the separatist guerillas. The government's directive says that any newspaper which violates the order will be "severely punished under the rule of law." There is apprehension among local journalists that those who do not respect the censorship could be imprisoned, although the authorities did not say anything about this as a possible punishment.

(RSF/IFEX) - RSF is protesting an assault on two journalists in north-east India. According to RSF's information, on 17 October 1998, Pradeep Behera, a senior journalist with the English-language daily "Arunachal Times", was assaulted by six unidentified persons armed with lethal weapons who entered his home in the state of Arunachal Pradesh. He is in hospital suffering from chest, head and leg injuries. It seems that the attack followed the publication of critical articles on social issues.

Meanwhile, in the state of Manipur, policemen stole 7,000 rupees (about 170 US dollars) from Zahid Khan, an associate editor of the monthly "Anouba Yawol". As the journalist was on his way to a place called Lilong, a police sub-inspector and other guards stopped him, took his wallet and said: "You are a bloody pressman, you don't write anything good for the people."

Background Information

At the beginning of October, the government of the state of Manipur ordered the local media not to publish or broadcast statements by the separatist guerillas. This decision has contributed to greater police violence against independent journalists (see IFEX alert of 6 October 1998).

(RSF/IFEX) - RSF is expressing concern further to death threats received by two Assamese journalists. According to RSF's information, in its 23 October 1998 issue, the daily "Amar Asom" said that two senior journalists of the newspaper were threatened with death by a former separatist militant after they enquired about his involvement with the police in an attack on a local businessman. The article said that, after learning the names of the two journalists from a police sub-inspector in Guwahati, the activist called the newspaper office and offered a reward to anyone who could produce the journalists.

On 26 October, the Assamese police foiled a murder attempt planned by militants against D. N. Bezboruah, editor of the English-language daily "The Sentinel". Police arrested two militants after they found "incriminating documents" near the journalist's home. The militants, reported to be members of the United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA), denied any involvement. The authorities reported that they had confessed to the plan and that they "had planned to assassinate more journalists and intellectuals who have been taking an anti-militant stand in their writings."

(RSF/IFEX) - RSF is protesting the arrests of three senior journalists in the state of Assam. According to RSF's information, on 10 February 1999, Naresh Kalita, news editor of the vernacular daily "Agradoot", was arrested by the police on charges of aiding and abetting separatist militants. A police statement said that he was jailed after the confessions of a militant of the United Liberation Front of Assom (ULFA) and that a Sten gun magazine, pistol cartridges and incriminating documents were found in his house. Despite these accusations, his colleagues alleged "it is a conspiracy by the Assam government to gag the voice of the press." The "Agradoot" group management said that Kalita was only guilty of "writing a series of reports highlighting the wrong policies of the ruling government."

In another incident, the police arrested and held two other journalists for three days. Jitendra Kumar Jain and Anil Mazumdar, respectively managing editor and editor of the Nalbari-based weekly "Nisha", were kept in detention after they published a report containing controversial issues critical of the local government.

(CPJ/IFEX) - CPJ is deeply concerned over the prolonged detention of Naresh Kumar Kalita, news editor of the Assamese language newspaper "Agradoot."

** Updates IFEX alert of 11 February 1999**

On 25 February 1999, Guwahati's High Court rejected Kalita's bail petition for the second time in two weeks. Police arrested the journalist at his home in Guwahati in the early morning hours of 10 February. They searched the premises for about three hours before taking him into custody. Authorities have stated that they recovered weapons and ammunition from Kalita's home, and accuse the journalist of ties to the militant separatist group United Liberation Front of Assam (ULFA).

Journalists in Assam, however, believe that the arrest was related to the recent publication of an article in "Agradoot," which reported that police vehicles were being used to transport illegal timber for the construction of Chief Minister Prafulla Kumar Mahanta's new house. CPJ's sources say that "Agradoot" has a reputation for publishing articles critical of his administration, and that this, too, may have encouraged authorities to order the arrest.

Kalita's relatives claim that, at the time of the police raid, officers forced them to sign blank forms that might later be used by authorities to forge confessions that could serve as incriminating evidence against Kalita.

CPJ is dismayed that Kalita continues to be held without charge. They are further disturbed that when local journalists gathered outside the Guwahati Press Club on 15 February for a march to decry Kalita's arrest, police detained about fifty protesters, citing their failure to obtain a police permit for the demonstration.

(CPJ/IFEX) - CPJ is deeply disturbed by reports that Naresh Kumar Kalita, news editor of the Assamese-language newspaper "Agradoot," is now being detained under the National Security Act (NSA), which allows for preventive detention without trial.

**Updates IFEX alerts of 25 February and 11 February 1999; for background on the Ajit Bhuyan case see IFEX alerts of 3 March 1998 and 23 October 1997**

The Kamrup district magistrate issued the order to book Kalita under the NSA on 4 March 1999, according to the Guwahati-based, English-language newspaper "The Sentinel." NSA provisions allow for the detention of those who have acted "in any manner prejudicial to the security of the State Government."

Police first arrested Kalita at his home in Guwahati in the early morning hours of 10 February. They searched the premises for about three hours before taking him into custody. Authorities stated that they recovered weapons and ammunition from Kalita's home, and accuse the journalist of ties to the militant separatist group United Liberation Front of Assam (ULFA).

On 25 February, CPJ wrote to Chief Minister Prafulla Kumar Mahanta, after Guwahati's High Court rejected Kalita's bail petition for the second time in two weeks. In that letter, CPJ reported that journalists in Assam believe Kalita's arrest was related to the recent publication of an article in "Agradoot" which reported that police vehicles were being used to transport illegally obtained timber for the construction of the Assamese chief minister's new house. Agradoot has a reputation for publishing articles unflattering to the administration, and this, too, may have encouraged authorities to order the arrest.

Kalita's relatives claim that, at the time of the police raid, officers forced them to sign blank forms that might later be used by authorities to forge confessions that could incriminate Kalita.

Prisoners held under the NSA are not permitted a court hearing, but are granted an audience with an advisory committee that determines the legal propriety of the detention. Although such committees are supposed to operate free from political pressures, CPJ noted that in November 1997, the central government dismissed the members of an advisory committee which ordered the release of Ajit Bhuyan-then editor of the Assamese-language newspaper "Asomiya Protidin." In that case, although the committee had determined that there were insufficient grounds for Bhuyan's detention under the NSA, Bhuyan was swiftly rearrested (see IFEX alerts).

CPJ is dismayed that the Indian government routinely uses the NSA and other statutes to punish journalists for their work. Journalists are particularly vulnerable to such charges in areas like Assam where there are violent secessionist movements, as their ordinary reporting activities require that they maintain links with militant extremist groups.

(RSF/IFEX) - In a 15 October 1999 letter to Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee, RSF expressed its indignation over the murder of N. A. Lalrohlu, editor of the local vernacular newspaper "Shan". RSF asked that "a serious and thorough investigation is conducted to identify and punish the authors of the murder, which seems to be a serious warning to independent journalists in the state of Manipur." RSF also drew the prime minister's attention to assaults against journalists made by security forces in Manipur state.

On 10 October, Lalrohlu, editor of the local vernacular newspaper "Shan", was shot by suspected militants of separatist movements in Manipur state. The 35-year-old journalist was murdered with three other people after they were abducted by at least fifty militants. Before he was shot, he published articles in the daily which were critical of the militia groups. Journalists' organisations in Manipur state strongly condemned the killing and all newspapers remained closed for one day as a protest gesture.

(RSF/IFEX) - In a 19 April 2000 letter to the chief minister of India's Manipur state, W. Nipamacha Singh, RSF protested the arrest of N. Biren Singh, editor of the daily "Naharlogi Thoudang". The organisation called on the minister to "ensure the immediate release of the journalist". RSF believes that a jail sentence would constitute a serious violation of press freedom. In a document dated 18 January 2000, the Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Opinion and Expression of the United Nations Commission on Human Rights underlined that imprisonment as punishment for the peaceful expression of an opinion constitutes a serious violation of human rights.

According to the information collected by RSF, N. Biren Singh, editor of the vernacular-language daily "Naharlogi Thoudang", was arrested on 14 April by police in Imphal, capital of Manipur state, north-eastern India. The police accused him of publishing a speech by an activist, Th Iboyaima, who has allegedly "encouraged extremist armed groups". The statements published in the newspaper were considered "seditious and anti-nationalist". Th Iboyaima, who is 84, was also arrested. In the past three years, fifteen journalists have been detained in Manipur state, accused by the authorities of "supporting armed movements".

(CPJ/IFEX) - In a 20 April 2000 letter to Chief Minister Wahengbam Nipamacha Singh, CPJ noted that it is deeply disturbed by the imprisonment of Nongthonbam Biren, chief editor of the Manipuri-language daily "Naharolgi Thoudang", and Thounaojam Iboyaima, the author of a speech recently published in the newspaper.

Biren and Iboyaima were arrested on 14 April in Imphal, the capital of Manipur State, and detained overnight. They appeared before Judge Gomati Devi, chief justice of Imphal West District, on 15 April, and were charged under sections 121, 121-A, and 124-A of the Indian Penal Code. Section 124-A says that "Whoever by words, either spoken or written . . . attempts to excite disaffection towards the Government" may be sentenced to life imprisonment.

Iboyaima delivered his speech on 9 April, citing United Nations declarations in support of the argument that "armed rebellion may be a last resort against colonial oppression," according to a report circulated by the Imphal-based Centre for Organisation, Research, and Education.

Judge Devi said that the speech, "according to the prosecution, gave some sort of encouragement to . . . underground, unlawful organizations." A number of insurgent groups operate in Manipur, and are fighting against Indian rule.

Biren and Iboyaima were remanded to judicial custody and are being held at Sajiwa Jail in Imphal. They are scheduled to stand trial on 29 April.

(RSF/IFEX) - In a letter to the governor of Assam State, S. K. Sinha, RSF protested the assault on a journalist by a magistrate. RSF asked the governor to sanction the magistrate. "Your duty as a governor is to protect journalists who are merely trying to do their work," Robert Ménard, the organisation's secretary-general, reminded him.

According to the information collected by RSF, Parag Saikia, a journalist at the daily "Aji", was beaten on 6 July 2000 by L. N. Tamuly, a magistrate in the town of Sibsagar (Assam province, east of the country). The journalist had been summoned by the magistrate and reproached for publishing an article on 1 July about the local authorities' alleged involvement in corruption. The magistrate struck Saikia inside the official building. The journalist was taken to hospital with various injuries.