Noted journalist Arnab Goswami Sunday said that it is important for legislators to put people first in their agenda. “We are all here because of the people. People should come first whether it is in politics or media,” said Goswami while addressing legislators on the topic: “Legislators and Relationship with Media” during the third phase of Sabal Bidhayak, a series of orientation programmes initiated by the Assam Assembly. The series that will continue on select days until January 2017 next year have been designed and coordinated by Guwahati based think-tank Centre for Development and Peace Studies.
Describing the quality of journalism Goswami said that Indian journalism is stronger than journalism elsewhere because the media here can question everything including religion, something not practiced by the western media. At the same time, Indian media is independent and secular- it can cover issues for instance as to why a woman cannot enter a place of worship. While in UK the media is very structured, in India it is not. Stating that his channel Times Now has broken six major scams so far and each case has been followed by the judiciary, he said that the media in India has kept the judiciary on its toes. Media in India has come a long way. Today’s media is an unusual media. It is confrontational unlike media in earlier days which had information but little impact.
“Politics is about taking responsibilities. Development follows when the media behaves responsibly and politicians too work responsibly,” he said. Terming the New Media as an Activist Media or Campaign driven Media, he said that today’s media followups news until there is response from the concerned quarters. He said that today journalists are no longer disseminators of information only, they have become activists. Media is a reflection of the changing country. Legislatures should open up new relations with the media and both should think about how they can work together and not how they can fight, he added.
Veteran politician and former minister Abdul Muhib Majumder highlighted the participants on procedural devices available to members to raise matters of urgent public importance on the floor of the house. Former Assam Chief Minister, Prafulla Kumar Mahanta also addressed the participants and spoke on Parliamentary etiquette, ethics, customs and conventions. He said that if legislators follow the rules and procedures of the Assembly, it will be beneficial both for them and the public.
Phani Bhushan Choudhry, who has been representing his constituency for the seventh consecutive term, threw light on general rules of procedures of the Assembly – questions, legislations and resolutions. He said that it is very important for a legislator to know how to put a question in the Assembly, which question is to be given priority and how to frame a question. According to him, the question must be focused and proposals should be such that it includes the problems and issues important for the stateas a whole apart from then problems of a particular constituency.
Speaking on the occasion Director, Indian Institute of Information Technology, Guwahati, Gautam Barua said that new and relevant courses should be introduced in the ITIs along with vocational courses for students who cannot pass tenth standard. State Minister for Water Resources Department, Science and Technology, Information Technology, Keshab Mahanta sensitized the legislators on the relationship between legislators and media and said that for legislators media is the medium to reach the masses. Senior journalist Samudra Gupta Kashyap stated that media and politics are inseparably related and while media plays the role of a watch dog, it also has its own responsibilities.
Vice Chairman of the State Planning Board Dipok Kumar Barthakur speaking on “Skilling and Regenerating Assam,” said that courses must be developed with an eye on the employability sectors of the region. He was of the opinion that a Skills University is necessary in the region to boost employment. In the programme that followed the Centre for Development and Peace Studies Executive Director Wasbir Hussain presented an overview of skill development initiatives in Assam. Intense interactions between the legislators and resource persons marked the sessions.
Amid escalating political unrest ahead of its national elections scheduled for February 12, 2026, Bangladesh has recorded the killing of journalist Rana Pratap Bairagi, who has become the first journalist worldwide to be murdered this year. The global media safety and rights organisation Press Emblem Campaign (PEC) has strongly condemned the killing and demanded a thorough investigation to bring the perpetrators to justice.
According to local media reports, Bairagi (45), a resident of Arua village in the Jessore region of southern Bangladesh, was fatally shot in the head by three assailants on January 5, 2026. The editor of the Bengali daily Dainik BD Khabar was found dead at Kopalia...
In a major crackdown on terror networks, a special NIA court in Guwahati has convicted Md. Kamruj Zaman, a key accused in a Hizb-ul-Mujahideen (HM) terror conspiracy case, and sentenced him to life imprisonment.
Zaman, also known as Dr Hurairah and Kamaruddin, was awarded life imprisonment under Section 18 of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), along with two additional sentences of five years’ simple imprisonment under other UAPA provisions. All sentences will run concurrently. The court also imposed fines in each case.
The case relates to a 2017–18 conspiracy to set up an HM terror module in Assam to carry out terrorist activities and spread fear. NIA investigations...
An eerie silence is prevailing in Karbi Anglong and West Karbi Anglong districts following the death of two people belonging to different communities amid growing demand to evict the non tribals from the hills districts on Tuesday.
Mobile internet has been suspended and the authority has imposed some restrictions on public gatherings to ensure peace and tranquility in the tribal dominated hills districts.
Security forces are patrolling on the streets in the vulnerable areas to avert any untoward incident.
But the tribal leaders and their followers have blamed it all on the government for allowing the non tribals to settle there which is contrary to the laid down rules.
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Tension gripped West Karbi Anglong district for a second consecutive day on Tuesday as clashes between protesters and security forces in Kheroni area left two people dead and over 45 injured, including 38 police personnel.
The deceased have been identified as a differently-abled youth from the Karbi community, who succumbed during police action to disperse agitators, and another individual who died in arson attacks on shops in Kheroni market. Reports indicate the violence involved stone-pelting, use of crude bombs, arrows, and bows by mobs, prompting police to resort to lathi-charge, tear gas, and blank firing.
The unrest stems from long-standing demands by Karbi organisations for the...
The hills of West Karbi Anglong district in Assam witnessed a dramatic eruption of violence this week, underscoring deep frustrations over land rights and perceived governmental inconsistency.
On December 22, 2025, protesters demanding the eviction of alleged encroachers from protected tribal grazing reserves torched the ancestral home of Karbi Anglong Autonomous Council (KAAC) Chief Executive Member Tuliram Ronghang in Dongkamukam and set fire to several shops in Kheroni Bazaar. The next day, despite prohibitory orders under Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), clashes between opposing groups led to stone-pelting, injuring several people, including protesters,...
New Delhi: Senior journalist Sangeeta Barooah Pisharoty has created history by becoming the first woman to be elected President of the Press Club of India (PCI), marking a significant milestone in the institution’s long-standing legacy. Her election is being widely hailed as a landmark moment for gender representation and leadership in Indian journalism.
A respected name in the profession, Pisharoty is known for her incisive reporting, editorial leadership and long-standing commitment to press freedom, ethical journalism and the welfare of media professionals. Over the years, she has earned wide credibility for her work on politics, governance and social issues.
The Press Club of...
A two-day ‘People’s Consultation on Strengthening Humanitarian Response and Climate Resilience in the Brahmaputra Basin’ concluded today at Hotel Clubway Grand, Jorhat, with the adoption of the People’s Declaration for a Resilient Brahmaputra Basin. The event was organised by the North-East Affected Area Development Society (NEADS) in collaboration with the Inter Agency Group (IAG) of Assam and various local humanitarian civil society actors from across the Brahmaputra valley, with support from Start Network.
The consultation brought together humanitarian practitioners, climate workers, community leaders, civil society organisations, youth groups and women’s collectives to deliberate on...
Guwahati: Curtains came down on the 9th Chalachitram National Film Festival at the Jyoti Chitraban premises in Kahilipara on 30 November 2025, as distinguished guests at the closing ceremony handed over awards, certificates, and cash prizes to the winning filmmakers in the presence of eminent film personalities, emerging director-producers and cine-goers. Organized by Chalachitram, a subsidiary of Vishwa Samvad Kendra-Assam, the two-day CNFF-25 showcased over 30 short features and documentaries across competitive and screening categories. ‘Koli’, directed by Jyotirmoy Mazumder, was adjudged the best short feature in the Northeast India category, while ‘Joba’, directed by Indira Baikerikar,...
The North-Eastern Hill University (NEHU) on Friday hosted the IIC Regional Meet 2025, drawing more than 500 participants from higher educational institutions across the Northeast. The day-long programme, organised under the Ministry of Education’s Innovation Cell (MIC) and the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE), was held at the Multi-Convention Hall on the NEHU campus.
The event commenced with the traditional lighting of the lamp, followed by an introductory address by Prof. Dinesh Bhatia, SPOC of the Regional Meet. Prof. G. Bez, Chairperson of the Meet, delivered the welcome speech, while Prof. I. Hussain, Dean of the School of Technology, NEHU, offered brief remarks....
Guwahati: Tirtha Prasad Saikia, Director of the North-East Affected Area Development Society (NEADS) — a local organization and an Indigenous Peoples’ Organization member of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) based in Assam — has been elected to the Executive Body of the India National Committee (INC) of IUCN, representing the North-East India region.
NEADS works at the intersection of humanitarian response, resilience building, climate action and environmental sustainability, adopting a nexus approach to address the human dimensions of environmental crises arising from both natural and human-induced disasters. The organization emphasizes community well-being...
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