DIBRUGARH, Sept 30 � The city�s media fraternity, supported by some 21 organisations blocked the busy Thana Chariali road intersection this afternoon for about two hours following failure of the police to arrest the guilty junior doctors who assaulted on-duty media perons and police personnel on Wednesday night at Assam Medical College and Hospital (AMCH).
The media fraternity had set 12-hour deadline before the district administration yesterday to arrest the culprits but no action was taken although 24 hours had elapsed. About 50 media persons with spontaneous support from the public had gheraoed the Sadar Police Station at around 3 PM, questionng the men in uniform why they had failed to nab at least one attacker so far. �We are going through the procedure and we will surely arrest them,� is what the Additional Superintendent of Police, Subodh Sonowal told the protestors.
Not pleased with the answer, mediapersons and their collaborators then blocked the city�s busiest Thana Chariali intersection near the Sadar Police Station to register their protest. All vehicles on four major city roads were stranded for about two hours. More and more people from the city began to join the protest at the intersection. All raised anti-police slogans and demanded immediate arrest of the guilty.
Meanwhile, a press statement issued from the district administration reached the spot stating that magisterial enquiry under Additional Deputy Commissioner Farid Ahmed had been instituted and that the district administration and the police were taking steps to arrest the perpetrators. But the protestors reiterated that they wanted action and not just written assurance and the blockade continued.
Executive Magistrate Sarangapani Sharma, who arrived after about two hours told mediapersons and other protestors that they needed about 3 to 6 hours to act. The media fraternity and other supporters agreed and sought to temporarily call off the blocakde. The media fraternity also announced that they would resort to protest again if the administration had failed to arrest the culprits by 12 midnight.
