Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi on Saturday accused the national media of making wrong projection of the north-east before the country.
Speaking at the inauguration of a training centre of Tata Consultancy Service (TCS) here, Mr. Gogoi also held the national media responsible for alienation of people of the region.
Earlier on Tuesday, while speaking to journalists on the July 9 incident of molestation of a girl in the city, the Chief Minister alleged that the national media had the tendency of projecting only negative image of the north-east.
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Union Minister for Rural Development Jairam Ramesh, who was instrumental in bringing TCS to the region, said in his typical style: “I request my media friends, once in a while to make the mistake of doing positive news of the region.”
“There is a great responsibility on the part of the media to be more balanced. You must hold people accountable. Please do not forget the underlying economic changes that are taking place, the new aspirations rising among the younger generations,” Mr. Ramesh said.
Projecting Assam as the place of only ethnic violence, only atrocities on women project a wrong image of the State, he said.
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In an oblique reference to the molestation incident, Mr. Ramesh said Guwahati had been hitting the headlines for the wrong things and urged the media to take note of the rapid development taking place in the State.
Series of protests
Meanwhile, upper Assam's Sivasagar district has been witnessing a series of protests over the alleged molestation of a girl by a jawan of the 287 Field Regiment at Nitaipukhuri on July 12.
Deputy Commissioner Jatindra Lahkar told The Hindu that the accused was arrested and produced before the Chief Judicial Magistrate. However, the Army sought his custody as its own Court of Inquiry had been constituted.
The CJM asked the police to hand over the jawan to the Army authorities.