JFA condoles demise of journalist Kshetradhar Phukan
Guwahati: Journalists’ Forum Assam (JFA) expresses its grief over the
demise of veteran journalist and media trade union leader Kshetradhar
Phukan who passed away on 29 October 2020. The State media forum also
paid heartfelt tributes to Phukan, who played an important role in
strengthening the movement for legal dues to media employees.
Phukan started his journalism career with The Assam Tribune. He led
the Tribune employees union for many years and successfully raised
voices for the newspapers workers across the State. Lived as a
confirmed bachelor, Phukan (85) was lately suffering from various
ailments and left behind a host of relatives.
Meanwhile, the forum expresses serious concern over a viral exposure
of a payment-list narrating amounts paid to some media houses and
individual scribe in social media and urged the State media fraternity
to stand against the effort to malign its image. However, the forum
appealed to all concerned media persons to clarify their stand
effectively.
Mentionable is that, an unauthenticated sheet of paper where it is
written as ‘confidential’ describes a list of monthly beneficiaries
including some media houses from an association of truckers. Claimed
as prepared on 21 October 2020, the list mentions a number of news
channels and newspapers along with a press association based in
Guwahati.
It describes the total media expenditure as much as Rs 39,70,000 per
month along with lavvy to Cachar police (Assam) and Meghalaya police
personnel. The expenditure to carry ‘coil’ (coal?) involving payments
to media groups may trigger repercussions among the common people even
though the particular paper is not authenticated.
“The paper is made viral in social media including influential
whatsapp groups which would multiply the number of viewers in every
single minute even without getting the space in mainstream media,”
said a statement issued by JFA president Rupam Barua and secretary
Nava Thakuria adding that the mainstream media should (must) react to
the development collectively.
