Tripura scribes wear black badges to protest against CM’s ‘threat’ over reporting of state’s Covid-19 situation

A group of journalists gathered at the Agartala Press Club on Friday wearing black ribbons to protest against chief minister Biplab Kumar Deb’s alleged threat against media coverage of the state’s drive to contain Covid-19.

The journalists on the occasion of Gandhi Jayanti gathered to protest against comments made by chief minister Deb during the foundation-stone laying ceremony of a special economic zone in South Tripura on September 11 said that he will not forgive some newspapers for creating confusion regarding the state’s handling of the pandemic.

“Some newspapers are trying to confuse people....History will not forgive them, people of Tripura will not forgive them and I Biplab Deb will not forgive them. I do whatever I say, history is testimony to that,” Deb had said, according to news agency PTI.

Following this incident journalists from Tripura had served three days notice to the chief minister asking him to withdraw his statement. CM Deb said that he did not mean to threaten anyone through his statement.

The journalists said that they will stick to their movement and send representatives seeking intervention from the Prime Minister, Home minister and Press Council of India.

The president of Agartala Press Club Subal Kumar Dey said, “We work on behalf of the people. But freedom of expression of the media has been trampled in the past 30 months. The officials are not allowed to speak to the media, journalists are threatened and assaulted in different parts of the state.”

Dey said that the movement will continue unless the chief minister withdraws his statement. He further added, “We demand that the chief minister withdraws his statement, give justice to assaulted mediapersons or else our movement will continue.”

(with inputs from PTI)