Assam police team in Varanasi to take custody of Kalita

A special team of Assam police has left for Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh to take over the custody of Amar Jyoti Kalita, the prime accused in the July 9 molestation case in the city, and bring him back to the state.

"A team of our police force has gone to Varanasi. Some formalities related to court procedure and transit warrant have to be fulfilled before we bring him to Assam," Superintendent of police (Operations) Ranjan Bhuyan told PTI.

Asked by when Kalita is likely to reach Assam, Bhuyan said, "We expect it to be done in a one or two days."

Kalita, a former government employee who was absconding since the incident, was held at Varanasi yesterday by the Uttar Pradesh police. He was sent to judicial remand after his police custody ended on Tuesday.

With his arrest, 14 of the 17 identified in the heinous incident on the Guwahati-Shillong road on the night of July 9 have been taken into custody.

Of them, seven are in judicial custody while the reporter of a local TV channel -- Gaurav Jyoti Neog -- who filmed the incident has been remanded in police custody.

Meanwhile in the backdrop of the molestation case, Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi on Tuesday met a delegation of the Broadcast Editors' Association in Guwahati.

Among the issues discussed with the team comprising general secretary N K Singh and journalists Dibang and Ashutosh during the meeting were the role of media in building public opinion, competition among media houses and portrayal of regional news in national media.