JFA expresses shock at scribe’s self-killing

Guwahati: Journalists’ Forum Assam (JFA) expresses shock at the
incident of self-killing by a scribe who tested positive for Covid-19
at All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in New Delhi.
Hailed from Bhajanpura area of north-east Delhi, Tarun Sisodia working
with Hindi daily Dainik Bhaskar was admitted to the hospital with
specific symptoms.

Sisodia, 37, ran out of his bed and jumped from the building in the
afternoon hours of 6 July 2020. Unconfirmed reports reveal that he was
under tremendous stress because of losing his job as the pandemic
continues to hit the newspaper industry. Later Sisodia, who left
behind his father, mother, wife, two minor daughters with others,
succumbed to the injuries.

Days back, city based businessman Rantu Das, who was the
printer-publisher of Asomiya Khabar, died of heart-failure on 3 July,
but later he tested positive for Covid-19.  He was admitted to the
hospital few weeks back with various ailments. Das, 54, left behind
his wife, one son and one daughter with a host of relatives and
well-wishers.

Earlier Chennai based journalist E Velmurugan, who worked as
videographer in a Tamil news channel, Hyderabad based journalist Manoj
Kumar, who worked for a Telugu news channel, Agra based print
journalist Pankaj Kulashrestha and Kolkata based photojournalist Ronny
Roy succumbed to Covid-19  complications.

Unconfirmed reports now claim that over fifty media employees working
for various news channels, news papers and web channels of Guwahati,
turned positive for novel corona virus. As the worrisome development
has not been reported by the State’s mainstream media outlets, JFA
urges the media workers to be cautious and careful in safeguarding
themselves and their families.

“We reiterate our demand for mass Covid-19 screening of all media
employees by the respective managements to prevent the outbreak of
Covid-19,” said a statement issued by JFA president Rupam Barua and
secretary Nava Thakuria adding that State chief minister Sarbananda
Sonowal and health minister Himanta Biswa Sarma should support the
initiative as media persons are presently playing the role of Covid-19
warriors.