Abhijit Nath, NET Correspondent, Tripura

A day after the mob ransacked and torched the office of the Pratibadi Kalam, a regional language media house journalists across the state have raised concerns about the safety of the media and media persons associated with it.

Meanwhile, Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Deb has condemned the attack on the media houses. He stressed that the government believes in the freedom of media such attacks will not be tolerated.

“This incident is very unfortunate and condemnable. The state crime branch has been directed to investigate the incident,” he said.

A delegation of journalists meeting with senior police officials raised questions about the delay in legal actions as no arrests were made even 12 hours after the incident when a written complaint had already been lodged with the police.

The scribes demanded quick and strict action, to which the IGP Arindam Nath assured that the inquiry over the attack on the offices of PB24 and Pratibadi Kalam would be conducted by the crime branch.

Speaking with reporters, senior journalist and Agartala press club secretary Pranab Sarkar said that the delegation discussed in detail the attack on the two media organizations.

Editor of Pratibadi Kalam Anal Roy Chowdhury, Sanit Debroy, Samiran Rai and everyone who were there recounted the ordeal they faced the other day.

“We were informed that the investigation of the attack on PB24 and Pratibadi Kalam have been given to the crime branch. Since the editor alleged that the attack took place in the presence of the officer-in-charge, that is why it has been shifted to the crime branch. We have asked for a quick inquiry and they have agreed to,” Sarkar said.

The delegation also claimed that the mob also attacked the office of Daily Desher Katha even when police were present.