Amid an existential crisis in northeast India’s well-known media house, the Assam Tribune group of newspapers, which worsened after the Covid-19 pandemic, a popular Assamese weekly newspaper ceased publication in the latter part of 2025.
Asom Bani, once a mainstream weekly for Assamese readers for decades, stopped appearing on stands from September last year, as the management lost interest in continuing its Friday publications. Even though the seven-decade-old, Guwahati-based Assamese-language weekly exited the media market, the management did not issue any statement about Asom Bani’s fate.
Before its discontinuation, the weekly had been merged with Dainik Asom, an acclaimed Assamese daily from the same prestigious media house, as its Friday supplement.
The weekly was once edited by prominent Assamese journalist-authors, namely Satish Chandra Kakati, Tilak Hazarika, Phani Talukdar, Nirod Chowdhury, Homen Bargohain, and Chandraprasad Shaikia. Its last editor was Dilip Chandan, who served Asom Bani for nearly three decades. Launched on 1 July 1955 by legendary Assamese entrepreneur Radha Govinda Baruah, the weekly witnessed and reported various important socio-political developments, including the Assamese-medium school instruction movement, Assam’s anti-influx agitation, the sudden rise of separatist-influenced insurgency, social unrest, the emergence of regional politics, and its declining popularity, all with dedication to the indigenous population.
The pandemic severely affected the circulation of all newspapers published by the Assam Tribune group, which in turn led to a decline in advertisement revenue from commercial entities. Like many other media institutions across India, the Assam Tribune group faced a severe financial crisis, which resulted in irregular salary payments to employees, including working journalists.
The employees’ union publicly highlighted various difficulties, including unpaid dues for retired staff. Union leaders also alleged that the group had not received substantial payments from the State Information and Public Relations Directorate for published advertisements.
Soon, rumours circulated about the possible sale of the entire media group to another city-based television company. However, the Assam Tribune management strongly denied these claims, calling them false portrayals. In an official statement, the management reaffirmed its commitment “to editorial independence, journalistic integrity, and continued service to readers, advertisers, and stakeholders” and urged all concerned to “disregard such baseless speculation and refrain from spreading misinformation.” Its primary news outlet, The Assam Tribune, which was first published on 4 August 1939 with Lakshminath Phukan as its first editor, continues to be the highest-circulated English daily in the northeastern region.
Despite these assurances from the management, led by Prafulla Govinda Baruah, second son of RG Baruah who passed away on 14 December at the age of 93, the responsibility for Dainik Asom, by now a publication of over six decades, was handed over to a different media group owned by young entrepreneur Kishor Borah, who runs the Assamese satellite news channel ND24.
The deal was made public on 17 September last year, after which the new management took over Dainik Asom but chose not to continue Asom Bani, which had already ceased to be an independent publication. As a supplement of Dainik Asom, the weekly appeared on 12 September 2025 for the last time.
The new management of Dainik Asom did not retain all the media employees, and on 18 September, over 70 employees, many of whom had been receiving extended tenures with monthly lump-sum payments, lost their jobs. The Assam Tribune management promised all legal dues within a few weeks, but the payments were not realized.
Having no options, the employees approached the labour court to claim their dues, reportedly amounting to around six crores. It is unfortunate that the media house, which was India’s first institution to implement the statutory Majithia Wage Board recommendations in 2012, has now taken the path of avoidance, neglecting payments owed to retired employees.
Media observers note that the Tribune house historically maintained credibility in disseminating information, editorials, and articles, but in recent years, these principles have been largely compromised. The Assam Tribune extensively covered the anti-Citizenship Amendment Act movement in 2019, providing significant space to public protests against the Union government’s initiative to politically support persecuted Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist, and Christian families from Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Bangladesh.
The coverage fueled weeks of unrest in Assam’s Brahmaputra Valley, with the narrative suggesting that the new citizenship law would undermine the Assam Accord of 1985, which had ended a six-year anti-foreigner agitation.
Moreover, the people of Assam recall a series of reports produced during a city press club election, which lacked credibility and were widely seen as biased, unprofessional, and personally attacking the then secretary of the Guwahati Press Club, putting the newspaper’s hard-earned integrity at risk.
The Assam Tribune exercised editorial liberty without accountability, publishing content that some reporters allegedly pursued with ill intent. While the current financial state of the Assam Tribune group is dire, it was not solely caused by the pandemic; the situation was worsened by a section of media professionals who enjoyed benefits while fomenting disorder within the organization, with the management remaining a mute spectator.