Assam polls revive memory of journalist killed 35 years ago

Journalists are seldom the main actors in a poll drama. Assam’s 2026 mandate has brought one of them, killed 35 years ago, to the fore.

The electoral fate of several former journalists will be decided on April 9, including Panchayat and Rural Development Minister Ranjeet Kumar Dass of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), contesting from Bhowanipur-Sorbhog, and former MP Abdul Khaleque, the Congress candidate from Mandia.

However, none has drawn as much attention as Kamala Saikia, a teacher-journalist from Sivasagar. He was killed in August 1991 by the banned United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA), four years after the group murdered journalist Punarmal Agarawal in Kampur.

Saikia was dragged out of his residence in Sivasagar’s Melachakar area and killed for allegedly writing against the ULFA. His body, with some fingers chopped off, was dumped near the Amguri police station.

Raijor Dal president Akhil Gogoi, contesting to retain the Sibsagar seat, has repeatedly accused his BJP rival Kushal Duwari of involvement in Saikia’s killing, citing his past as a ULFA area commander.

“Everybody in Sivasagar knows he killed Kamala Saikia. He also killed many others, including Bijit Dutta, whose eyes were gouged out. I appeal to the people of Sivasagar to save the constituency from a murderer,” Mr. Gogoi said.

“Can anyone go to an elected murderer with any plea? Chances are you will be shot. You may not vote for me, but for god’s sake, don’t vote for a murderer,” he said during one of his campaign rallies.

Mr. Duwari, a former MLA who represented the delimitation-devoured Thowra constituency, denied killing Saikia. “The ULFA admitted that it killed him, and there were many members of the group at that time. How could have Kushal Duwari killed him? He was not my enemy,” he said.

The BJP candidate slammed Mr. Gogoi for maligning his image.

State BJP spokesperson and advocate Jayanta Kumar Goswami, defended Mr. Duwari, who was sentenced to two years in prison with another ULFA member-turned-MLA, Jiten Gogoi, for fishing in Kaziranga National Park illegally in 2009.

“An analysis of Mr. Duwari’s affidavit shows he has four cases against him, and all these were based on suspicion. On the other hand, Akhil Gogoi has 21 cases against him running into 11 pages, and some of these are serious,” he said.

Mr. Duwari’s candidature was marked by last-minute drama. The BJP fielded him minutes before the deadline for filing nominations, although the party had agreed to leave the seat to its ally, Asom Gana Parishad, which had already nominated the veteran Prodip Hazarika.

Mr. Duwari and Mr. Hazarika, who won the 2021 polls from the now-defunct Amguri constituency, are locked in a “friendly fight” with Mr. Gogoi being their common adversary. Also in the fray are Tapan Gogoi of the Aam Aadmi Party and four Independents.

Mr. Duwari is one of at least four former ULFA leaders contesting the April 9 elections. The others are BJP legislators Bhaskar Sharma (Margherita) and Mrinal Saikia, and Naba Kumar Sarania (Gana Suraksha Party, Bijni).