IJU expresses concern over sedition charge against Silchar journalist

IJU

Hyderabad, 5 December 2021: Indian Journalists Union (IJU) expresses
concern over the slapping of sedition charges against a journalist
from Assam’s Barak valley and urges the authority to withdraw the case
against Anirban Roy Choudhury.

The Silchar-based editor of digital outlet Barak Bulletin faces
sedition charges over an editorial and the young scribe has been
summoned by the police to be present at Silchar Sadar police station
on Monday morning, following an FIR, lodged by Santanu Sutradhar of
All Assam Bengali Hindu Association.

“It is shocking that the news portal editor has been booked under
sedition charges targeting his freedom of expression guaranteed by our
Constitution. There are other laws to deal with such issues, but no
way it should go with sedition,” said IJU president K. Sreenivas Reddy
and secretary general Balwinder Singh Jammu.

The complaint was filed on 1 December claiming that the editorial
comprised elements to hamper the cordial relationship between the
Bengali speaking residents of Barak valley and the Assamese community
in Brahmaputra valley of Assam. Considering the sensitivity of it, he
protested against the scribe’s public support to Pradip Dutta Roy, who
is presently under judicial custody.

Dutta Roy, the convenor of Barak Democratic Front, was arrested on 27
November last following his ultimatum to erase Assamese language from
the hoardings put in Barak valley. Mentionable is that even though
Assamese is recognised as the official language of Assam, there are
provisions for using Bengali in Barak valley that comprises three
districts.