HPC condemns alleged harassment by railway official

DIPHU — The Haflong Press Club (HPC) has condemned the alleged harassment meted out to two media persons on duty by a senior railway official near Jatinga Lumpur Station in Dima Hasoa district, Assam, on April 30. 

The HPC, in a press release, said that they did not expect such misbehaviour from a senior official in the rank of divisional railway manager.

The club also resolved to urge the chief minister of Assam and others to take befitting action against the railway official at the earliest so that such incidents do not recur in future.

“The Haflong Press Club may also take further course of agitation against such attacks on media very soon so that nobody dares to confront or attack media persons on duty not only in Dima Hasao but also in the entire country for a free and fair atmosphere in India,” the release informed.

Meanwhile, a complaint letter against the divisional railway manager (DRM) of Lumding division was lodged with the general manager of Northeast Frontier Railway at Maligoan, Guwahati, by the two media persons.

In the complaint letter, the duo from the NE Live channel stated that the incident happened when they had gone to cover the ongoing restoration work between Jatinga Lampur and New Harangajao on April 30.

“Since we need to meet an authorised railway official for comments, we were waiting for DRM Lumding as we were told that he was the right person to address us and he was coming soon.

“After waiting there for minutes, a person with guards came and, seeing us there, began to shout and drove us out from there before we could introduce ourselves, though we were holding logos. It was not the end of misbehaviour to us; using unparliamentary words, he first tried to snatch my mobile phone, then he instructed officials who forcibly snatched my phone and deleted all the footage, including my important files, from the phone. In the scuffle, my phone got damaged,” the complaint letter read.

Later, they came to know that the official who harassed them was the DRM of the Lumding Division.

Meanwhile, the Dimasa Students’ Union (DSU) Central Committee and All Dimasa Students’ Union (ADSU), Dima Hasao District Committee, have also condemned the incident.