Skip to content Skip to navigation

I-Day at Guwahati Press Club

By AT News |

City based media persons and patriotic citizens from different walks of life observed India’s 69th Independence Day at Guwahati Press Club on Saturday with fanfare. Senior journalist Rupam Barua hoisted the National flag at 11 am, following which he gave a short speech highlighting the contributions of millions of known & unknown martyrs and freedom fighters for the noble cause.

“Thanks to our great patriots and martyrs, we are now living proudly in a free nation. The significance of this day lies in gratefully recollecting their supreme sacrifices,” said Barua. He expressed dissatisfaction that many organizations now-a-days prefer not to salute the Tri-colour citing their various grievances.

“It is very unfortunate and disgusting as well. We should (must) pay our tributes to the martyrs unconditionally. Nobody should drag the auspicious days like I-Day and Republic Day for selfish interest. Otherwise we will be known as an ungrateful nation, which cannot be accepted,” pointed out Barua.

Following the flag hoisting programme, the participants took out a rally on the city streets. Many children also participated in the rally waving National flags and chanted patriotic slogans. They also performed in a brief function at the press club with various recitation and patriotic songs.

It may be mentioned that defying the diktats of various separatist militant outfits the Guwahati based journalists and few patriotic nationals have made it a habit to gather at the local press club on both 15 August and 26 January to hoist the Tri-colour and salute the martyrs of India’s freedom movement. They have taken a principled stand against separatist agenda and led the endeavour from 1998 onwards.

The participants included senior journalists Ranen Kumar Goswami, Mukul Kalita, DN Sing, Raman Bora, Bijay Bora, Bikas Singh, Pranabjit Doloi, Pramod Kalita, Utpal Das, Nava Thakuria, Nripen Rajbongshi, Mamata Mishra, Akhyamala Bora with civil society representatives like Dr Jagadindra Raychoudhury, Uttam Barthakur, Kishor Giri, Kailash Sarma, Purabi Barua, Rubi Barthakur, Md Farid, Mrinal Ali Hazarika, Pradip Thakuria, Shankar Das, Ranjib Sarma, Sanjib Puri etc.

Friendly football match On the occasion of 69th I-Day, the members of Electronic Media Forum Assam (EMFA) played a friendly football match with the employees of District Transport Office (Kamrup-M) at Nehru Stadium. Led by Khirod Das, the DTO eleven beat EMFA eleven by two goals scored by Simanta Neog and Kanai Mahanta. The EMFA captain Peter Alex was adjudged as the best player of the match and he was awarded by Kamrup DTO Gautam Das.

Well-known football coach Hem Das conducted the game, where the city based Dispur Hospitals extended emergency medical supports for the players. Senior journalists and EMFA members Pranay Bordoloi, Nava Thakuria, Bhaskarjyoti Bhuyan, Bimal Ghosh and many others were present on the ground to cheer the participants.

Author info

AT News's picture

Assam Times Staff. editor@assamtimes.org
  • 14002 reads

Add new comment

Other Contents by Author

APCC Holds Press Conference Alleging Irregularities Against Assam CM

Guwahati, 4 February: The Assam Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) on Tuesday held a press conference at Rajiv Bhawan, during which party leaders made a series of allegations against Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and launched an online platform to collect information related to their claims. The press conference was attended by former Chhattisgarh Chief Minister and Congress election observer Bhupesh Baghel, All India Congress Committee (AICC) General Secretary in charge of Assam Jitendra Singh, APCC President Gaurav Gogoi, and other senior party leaders. During the event, a video titled “Who Is Himanta Biswa Sarma?” was released, followed by the launch of a QR-code-enabled template...

Gaurav Gogoi launches sharp attack on Assam BJP govt at massive Rangia rally

Guwahati, January 24: Assam Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) president Gaurav Gogoi on Friday mounted a blistering attack on the Himanta Biswa Sarma-led BJP government, branding it a regime of “vote thieves, land thieves, cattle thieves and water thieves,” while addressing a massive public rally at Hatikholia Ground, Moranjana, near Rangia. Addressing nearly 20,000 supporters, Gogoi raised what he termed the central political question before the people of Assam—“Who is Himanta Biswa Sarma?”—and said the Congress must now directly reach out to the masses. He called for the immediate formation of small outreach teams comprising youth and women to go door-to-door and explain the...

Save MGNREGA Movement launched by Congress across Assam

The Assam Pradesh Congress Committee on Friday launched the nationwide “Save MGNREGA Movement” in the state, opposing the Modi-led NDA government’s move to amend the MGNREGA Act and introduce a new law under the name “VB-G RAM G”. As part of the first phase of the agitation, press conferences were held simultaneously at district headquarters across Assam, including Kamrup Metropolitan, Sonitpur, Lakhimpur, Dhemaji, Tinsukia, Dibrugarh, Charaideu, Hailakandi, Darrang and Baksa. District Congress Committee presidents and senior party leaders addressed the media. In Guwahati, senior Pradesh Congress spokespersons Kushal Sharma, Rupak Das and Anita Devi addressed the press at the...

Indigenous Unity Call at Nibaran Bora Memorial Meet

A strong call to unite the indigenous communities of Northeast India on a common platform was made at a roundtable discussion held on January 6 to mark the 21st death anniversary of noted nationalist leader Nibaran Bora. The discussion, titled “Crisis of Indigenous Peoples of Northeast India and Its Solutions”, resolved to carry forward Bora’s vision and ideology for safeguarding indigenous identity and rights. The meeting was attended by representatives of several indigenous organisations from Assam and other Northeastern states. Uncompromising nationalist leader Hasibur Rahman, a close associate of the late leader, delivered the keynote address, highlighting the growing threat to the...

Journalist Rana Pratap Bairagi Killed in Bangladesh; PEC Demands Justice

Amid escalating political unrest ahead of its national elections scheduled for February 12, 2026, Bangladesh has recorded the killing of journalist Rana Pratap Bairagi, who has become the first journalist worldwide to be murdered this year. The global media safety and rights organisation Press Emblem Campaign (PEC) has strongly condemned the killing and demanded a thorough investigation to bring the perpetrators to justice. According to local media reports, Bairagi (45), a resident of Arua village in the Jessore region of southern Bangladesh, was fatally shot in the head by three assailants on January 5, 2026. The editor of the Bengali daily Dainik BD Khabar was found dead at Kopalia...

HM Conspiracy Case: NIA Court Awards Life Term to Key Accused

In a major crackdown on terror networks, a special NIA court in Guwahati has convicted Md. Kamruj Zaman, a key accused in a Hizb-ul-Mujahideen (HM) terror conspiracy case, and sentenced him to life imprisonment. Zaman, also known as Dr Hurairah and Kamaruddin, was awarded life imprisonment under Section 18 of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), along with two additional sentences of five years’ simple imprisonment under other UAPA provisions. All sentences will run concurrently. The court also imposed fines in each case. The case relates to a 2017–18 conspiracy to set up an HM terror module in Assam to carry out terrorist activities and spread fear. NIA investigations...

Uneasy calm atop Karbi Hills

An eerie silence is prevailing in Karbi Anglong and West Karbi Anglong districts following the death of two people belonging to different communities amid growing demand to evict the non tribals from the hills districts on Tuesday. Mobile internet has been suspended and the authority has imposed some restrictions on public gatherings to ensure peace and tranquility in the tribal dominated hills districts. Security forces are patrolling on the streets in the vulnerable areas to avert any untoward incident. But the tribal leaders and their followers have blamed it all on the government for allowing the non tribals to settle there which is contrary to the laid down rules. " We are...

Two Killed, Dozens Injured as Violence Erupts in West Karbi Anglong Over Land Eviction Demands

Tension gripped West Karbi Anglong district for a second consecutive day on Tuesday as clashes between protesters and security forces in Kheroni area left two people dead and over 45 injured, including 38 police personnel. The deceased have been identified as a differently-abled youth from the Karbi community, who succumbed during police action to disperse agitators, and another individual who died in arson attacks on shops in Kheroni market. Reports indicate the violence involved stone-pelting, use of crude bombs, arrows, and bows by mobs, prompting police to resort to lathi-charge, tear gas, and blank firing. The unrest stems from long-standing demands by Karbi organisations for the...

Flames of Frustration: Why Karbi Anglong's Eviction Crisis Exploded into Violence

The hills of West Karbi Anglong district in Assam witnessed a dramatic eruption of violence this week, underscoring deep frustrations over land rights and perceived governmental inconsistency. On December 22, 2025, protesters demanding the eviction of alleged encroachers from protected tribal grazing reserves torched the ancestral home of Karbi Anglong Autonomous Council (KAAC) Chief Executive Member Tuliram Ronghang in Dongkamukam and set fire to several shops in Kheroni Bazaar. The next day, despite prohibitory orders under Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), clashes between opposing groups led to stone-pelting, injuring several people, including protesters,...

Sangeeta Barooah Pisharoty Becomes First Woman President of Press Club of India

New Delhi: Senior journalist Sangeeta Barooah Pisharoty has created history by becoming the first woman to be elected President of the Press Club of India (PCI), marking a significant milestone in the institution’s long-standing legacy. Her election is being widely hailed as a landmark moment for gender representation and leadership in Indian journalism. A respected name in the profession, Pisharoty is known for her incisive reporting, editorial leadership and long-standing commitment to press freedom, ethical journalism and the welfare of media professionals. Over the years, she has earned wide credibility for her work on politics, governance and social issues. The Press Club of...