For how many years (decades) a journalist’s family await justice?
Should it be three decades, even after the entire media fraternity of Assam raised voice for it?
The story of journalist, teacher and freedom fighter Kamala Saikia, who was killed by the banned United Liberation Front of Assam (ULFA) for his critical views, narrates a lot.
The outspoken gentleman tried to highlight some misdeeds carried out by the armed outfit and soon their leaders issued threats to him. But when the whistle blower did not listen to them, they took the extreme step to eliminate him.
Saikia was kidnapped from his residence in Sivasagar of eastern Assam on the night of 9 August 1991 and his body with wounds was recovered next morning on the Janji-Amguri road.
The ULFA leaders remained silent over the assassination but after massive public outcries, they admitted that Saikia was targeted for his act of ‘spying’ against the outfit.
Then ULFA chairman Arvinda Rajkhowa even publicly asked for apology from the bereaved family and the people of Assam.
Born in 1920, Saikia had his early education in Goalgaon primary school. He passed matriculation from Jhanjee high school and started college life at Jorhat JB College.
However, he left the college to join the freedom struggle following the call of Mahatma Gandhi. During those days, Saikia came to contacts of many freedom fighters like Bimala Prasad Chaliha, Rabin Kakoty, Purnananda Chetia, Kedarnath Goswami, Prafulla Ch. Baruah, Ramnath Das etc.
He was deeply inspired by the Swadeshi movement and installed many Jotors (manual spinning machine) to prepare cotton yarn in his own locality. Since then he started wearing only Khadi attires in all public functions. He got married to Kamala Kumari Baruah in 1965 and they had two sons (Dhananjoy & Jananjoy) and a daughter (Akashitora).
He established himself as a dedicated teacher and subsequently engaged himself in the field of journalism.
After the murder, family members lodged a complaint at Sivasagar police station and they carried out the investigation for seven years. But ultimately the police closed the case on 5 September 1998 citing insufficient evidence and witnesses.
It created public furies and Saikia’s family appealed to the State government to reopen the case. Soon the case was handed over to the Criminal Investigation Department.
The investigative agency also failed to charge-sheet any one even though it interrogated a number of individuals including surrendered militants namely Kushal Duori, Netra Chetia, Raja Mumin, Lalit Shyam, Baba Phukan, Uma Gogoi, Mohan Sarma, Indra Chetia, Chitra Dihingia, Rohini Khanikar, Robin Neog etc.
The CID submitted its report in 2008 without convicting any one with the admission that it could not have conclusive evidences. Seeking justice, Saikia’s elder son Dhananjoy filed a petition at Gauhati High Court on 27 June 2008.
He claimed that Sivasagar police in its final report indicted Kushal Duori and four other militants to be involved with the murder. The court ordered a re-investigation of the case and the police reopened the case again.
Now Saikia’s family and well-wishers demand a Central Bureau of Investigation probe over the matter and prefer a logical conclusion of the murder. The successive governments at Dispur have shown irresponsible attitude to book the perpetrators who could kill a senior citizen after tortures only for his critical voices. Is anybody listening?