GUWAHATI, 20 Aug: The Guwahati police have summoned senior journalists Siddharth Varadarajan and Karan Thapar in connection with a case registered on sedition charges, according to the notices.
The two journalists have been asked to appear before the Crime Branch of Guwahati police on 22 August.
The identical summonses, a copy of which is with PTI, stated, “It is revealed that there are reasonable grounds to question you to ascertain the facts and circumstances from you, in relation to the present investigation.”
The police have not shared any information about the case. Repeated calls made to senior police officials to know about the case remained unanswered.
While Varadarajan’s summons was received on 14 August, Thapar got it on Monday. “Failure to attend/comply with the terms of this notice can render you liable for arrest,” the summonses added.
The summonses were issued by Crime Branch Inspector Soumarjyoti Ray, and he referred to an FIR (No.: 03/2025) registered at the Crime Branch under sections 152, 196, 197(1)(D)/3(6), 353, 45 and 61 of the BNS.
Section 152 of BNS addresses acts endangering the sovereignty, unity and integrity of India. It effectively replaced Section 124A of the IPC, which was put on hold by the Supreme Court in May 2022. Congress leader Gaurav Gogoi on Wednesday slammed the summoning of two senior journalists by Assam police in connection with a case registered on sedition charges, saying the state is “again in the news for all the wrong reasons” and it has been engulfed by “greed, corruption, incompetency, lawlessness.”
Gogoi said this was not the “Assam way” and the people of the state want a leadership that will build an “Assam of their dreams.”
“Another day, another reason when Assam is in the news for all the wrong reasons. Greed, corruption, incompetency, lawlessness. This is not the Assam way. The people of Assam want a leadership that will build an Assam of their dreams,” he wrote on ‘X’. (PTI)