Guwahati molestation: Editor of news channel quits, defends reporter

Guwahati: The editor-in-chief of the local television news channel, which had videographed the molestation of a girl outside a pub here, today resigned after expressing doubts over impartial enquiry into the allegations that a journalist had instigated the incident. Addressing a press conference at the Guwahati Press Club, the editor-in-chief, Atanu Bhuyan, said he was surprised at Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi’s comment yesterday criticising journalist Gaurav Jyoti Neog for not informing the police. [caption id=“attachment_380424” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Screen grab of Atanu Bhuyan from CNN IBN.[/caption] “After Gogoi’s comment, Neog was picked up by the police and interrogated for four hours before being released. We fear the enquiry will not be impartial as the police may be influenced by Gogoi’s comment,” he said. Bhuyan said he also came to now from “various sources” that the chief minister had wished that he (Bhuyan) should resign. “Such comments may put a pressure on the management of the channel, which is still supporting me, and it in turn may pressurise me in the future. Therefore, to avoid such a situation I have decided to resign,” he said. Bhuyan pointed out that he was not resigning on “grounds of moral responsibility” and stood by his reporter who did his job. Defending Neog, he said, “It was only because of the footage recorded by him that 12 of the culprits have been arrested.” Neog has already resigned from the organisation on 15 July following allegations by RTI activist Akhil Gogoi that he had instigated the molestation on 9 July. PTI