TV journalist held on charges of militant links

He was accused of providing advance information about movement of security forces

The Assam Police arrested television journalist Jaikhlong Brahma, who works for a Guwahati-based private news channel News Live , in Kokrajhar town on Tuesday night on charges of “providing information to the extremists about the movement of security forces in advance and instigating the cadres of the National Democratic Front of Boroland (Songbijit) to indulge in violent activities such as killing of innocent persons, sources or informers. The journalist was produced in the Court of Chief Judicial Magistrate, Kokrajhar on Wednesday afternoon. The police sought his custody for 14 days. However, the court remanded him to five days in police custody.

Assam Police spokesman and Deputy Inspector-General of Police Apurba Jibon Barua told The Hindu that the arrested journalist was “found to be instigating miscreants to burn the vehicles on National Highways to create fear psychosis among the masses.” He said the police had recovered evidences against the journalist, whom the police accused of “voluntarily promoting and knowingly facilitating the violent acts of the banned outfit and compromising national security. ”