The Press Council of India (PCI) today appointed a one-member committee to inquire into the arrest of an Assamese journalist who after an accident was allegedly beaten up by the police and booked under "some tough sections of the law."
In an order issued here, PCI chairperson Justice (retd) Markandey Katju said Kalyan Barooah, who is a member of the Council, has been appointed to inquire and report on the matter related to the arrest of journalist Bhupen Nath.
In the order, Katju said the Journalists Union of Assam (JUA), through its President Geetartha Pathak, had written to him regarding the arrest of Nath, who is the Tezpur correspondent of 'Niyamiya Barta', a daily published from Guwahati.
In his order, Katju said "allegedly after an accident, he (Nath) was beaten up by the police, handcuffed, booked under some tough sections of law and sent to jail."
Katju asked the state government to extend cooperation to Barooah to facilitate the inquiry.
