GUWAHATI, March 11 � The All Press Correspondents� Union (APCU), Assam while hailing the initiative of the government to institute an award for excellence in journalism in the name of late Kamala Saikia, has requested Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi to address the grievances of the working journalists and to ensure security of life of the journalists.
Kamala Saikia, a journalist of Ajir Asom, was slain by the ULFA in the year 1991. It may be mentioned here that the APCU had been insisting for long to institute an award in the name of Kamala Saikia.
�A delegation of the APCU had met Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi on February 13 this year, and, along with other demands, had requested him to institute an award in the name of journalist Kamala Saikia,� informed a functionary of APCU.
During their meeting, the APCU had also requested the Chief Minister to speed up the investigation into the cases relating to the killing of as many as 24 journalists in the State since 1991 and to pay compensation to the next of their kin.
The APCU, extending its thanks to the Chief Minister, has requested him to give a government job to the wife of late journalist Jagjit Saikia. Saikia was killed by miscreants on November 22 in the year 2008 in Kokrajhar.
In November 25, 2008 a delegation of APCU approached the Chief Minister in connection to the killing of Saikia. The Chief Minister assured Rs 3-lakh compensation for the family of Saikia and a job for the wife of Saikia.
�The family of late Saikia got the money but Geeta Saikia, wife of late Saikia is yet to get a job,� said the functionary of APCU.
The APCU has appealed to the Chief Minister to fulfill his promise made to the family of late Saikia.
