Assam: TV journo covering molestation episode quits job

Gaurav Jyoti Neog, the journalist of a Guwahati-based TV channel, who was on the spot covering the barbaric assault of a girl by a group of persons at G S Road in Guwahati city on July 9, has quit his job to 'facilitate fair investigation into the case'. 

His resignation has been accepted by the management.

A senior editor of the channel said that the management told Gaurav that he would be taken back if the on-going police investigation did not find his involvement in the crime.

The journalist also resigned from the primary membership of the Electronic Media Forum of Assam. 

The journalist has been accused by leader of Krishak Mukti Sangram Samity and Right to information activist Akhil Gogoi of instigating the crime. Gogoi also presented video footage of the crime before the media in Guwahati to prove the TV journalist's involvement in instigating it.

A large number of people from all ages today took out a protest rally in Guwahati city braving the inclement weather led by Gogoi demanding arrest of all the culprits involved in the despicable crime.

They also staged demonstration in front of the local TV channel which beamed the first visual of the crime, demanding Neog's arrest for allegedly instigating the crime besides closure of the TV channel for 'indulging in yellow journalism'.

Gogoi on Saturday alleged that Neog was involved in the incident, and presented a video footage of the crime to prove his point and a copy of the presentation was also given to the state director general of police and the EMFA.

The EMFA has stated that the footage needed be subjected to forensic test to be sure that it was genuine and not doctored. The visuals shown by the activist was not supported by the raw footage of the incident, rather it was an edited DVD format, where there remains possibility of doctoring.

The EMFA has appealed to the Assam government to initiate a high level impartial probe into the allegation against Neog's involvement.

The forum also demanded that Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi should initiate a collective analysis of all the video footage of the incident after forensic test.

The EMFA is of the opinion that Neog should have called the police first from the location of crime of July 9 incident and then asked his office to send in the camerapersons.