Agartala, Feb 9: Over 800 journalists and media workers from across Tripura gathered today in front of Rabindrabharati to demand the safety, welfare, and rights of media professionals. The three-hour protest, led by senior editor Subal Kumar De, highlighted 11 key demands, including ensuring journalists’ security, allocation of free land for housing near workplaces, doubling pensions for journalists and their families, and allocating ₹50 lakh in the upcoming budget to the Journalists’ Welfare Fund.
The protesters also called for a 50% discount on electricity bills for media offices, regular advertising for weekly newspapers, doubling advertisement rates for recognized media outlets, and group insurance with monthly stipends for newspaper distributors.
A key focus of the protest was action against two ruling party MLAs, Ram Prasad Pal and Ranjit Debbarma, accused of harassing senior journalists to cover up alleged misconduct. Organizers stressed that the misuse of constitutional positions to intimidate media professionals undermines democracy and demanded immediate legal action.
During the protest, a delegation of journalists met Chief Minister Dr. Manik Saha and submitted a memorandum outlining their demands. The Chief Minister assured that the government would examine the issues and take necessary measures. The journalists warned that if the grievances against the two MLAs are not addressed, they would escalate the matter to the Prime Minister, Union Home Minister, and the President.
Speakers, including Subal Kumar De, Sanjay Pal, Shanit Debroy, and others, emphasized media unity and condemned social, economic, and physical attacks on journalists. They also called for speedy resolution of long-standing cases, such as those involving the late journalists Sudip Dutta Bhoumik and Shantanu Bhoumik, and urged strict enforcement of ethical guidelines regarding press stickers on vehicles.
The protest underlined the need to strengthen Tripura’s media sector, improve journalists’ living standards, and safeguard press freedom against political and administrative intimidation.
