Political controversy erupts over burning of newspaper bundles in Sivasagar district

Assam: The burning of several bundles of the Assamese daily Asomiya Pratidin in Sivasagar district on March 25 has sparked a major political controversy in the poll-bound state of Assam. Opposition parties have blamed the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party, which in turn has condemned the incident and demanded action against those responsible.

According to reports, unidentified individuals set fire to bundles of the newspaper’s Dibrugarh editions for Tuesday and Wednesday (March 24 and 25) early in the morning near the Joysagar area of ​​Sivasagar. The incident has also been strongly condemned by journalists’ organizations, who called it an attack on press freedom.
Reacting to the incident, Rishi Barua, director of Pratidin Media Network, said that printed pages can be burned, but the truth contained within them cannot be erased. In a post on X, he said that stories remain alive in people’s minds, conversations, and memories, no matter how hard attempts are made to silence them. When Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma was asked about the incident during his election campaign, he said he was unaware of it because he was busy with election-related work.

Meanwhile, local MLA Akhil Gogoi, who is contesting again from the area, alleged that BJP workers were involved in the incident. He claimed that party workers saw some people, including some allegedly associated with the BJP, burning newspapers and that he had video evidence of the incident. He demanded the immediate arrest of those involved.

The political contest in the Sivasagar area has also intensified, with both the BJP and its ally, the Asom Gana Parishad, fielding candidates, leading to what is being described as a “friendly contest,” with Akhil Gogoi remaining a key candidate.

At the national level, Indian National Congress General Secretary Jitendra Singh described the incident as a “dangerous crackdown on freedom of speech,” alleging that it demonstrates intolerance towards criticism. They demanded an independent and transparent investigation and urged the authorities, including the Assam Police and the Election Commission, to take strict action. State Congress President Gaurav Gogoi also condemned the incident, calling it an attack on the fourth pillar of democracy. He warned that targeting a media house today could set a precedent for further attacks and stressed the need for united protests against such actions.

The incident has further heated up the political atmosphere in Assam ahead of the elections, with both sides trading accusations over accountability and the security of democratic institutions.