Silchar: Assam Police have booked a retired Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer after he was accused of threatening a journalist for reporting on a protest involving the officer’s son, who serves in the state police force.
According to Bajali district Additional Superintendent of Police Tribayan Bhuyan, an FIR has been filed against former NRC State Coordinator Hitesh Dev Sarma under Sections 351(2) (criminal intimidation and death threat), 352 (intentional insult provoking breach of peace), and 296 (obscene acts in public places) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. The case was registered at the Pathshala police station on Friday.
The journalist, Rana Deka of Guwahati-based NKTV, told police that Sarma called him to object to a news report about an October 15 protest outside Baksa district jail. The demonstration took place when police were shifting five men arrested in connection with singer Zubeen Garg’s death, as per court orders.
Deka said the coverage showed police personnel, including Baksa Additional SP Geetartha Dev Sarma — the accused officer’s son — taking forceful action against protesters. He alleged that Hitesh Dev Sarma accused them of using edited footage and later issued threats.
The FIR states that Sarma warned the journalist that he could be killed in a road accident and made similar threats about Deka’s eight-year-old son. The journalist said the remarks amounted to a clear death threat, prompting him to file a police complaint.
Deka also submitted an audio recording of the alleged conversation to the authorities.
Police have asked the journalist to appear for his statement. A notice will soon be issued to the retired IAS officer to record his version of events, officials said.
