In a significant development, the Guwahati police on Friday arrested television journalist Gaurav Jyoti Neog, who is alleged to have instigated the mob to molest a girl here on the Guwahati-Shillong Road on July 9.
Guwahati’s new SSP A.K. Tiwari, who took charge on Thursday, told this newspaper: “We have arrested TV journalist Gaurav Jyoti Neog today after careful examination of the audio-video footage and other evidence available with the police.”
He also claimed the police would be able to arrest key culprit Amar Jyoti Kalita, who was involved in molesting the girl.
The News Live channel reporter, who recorded the video of the incident, has been in the eye of a storm ever since RTI activist Akhil Gogoi presented audio-video clips showing his involvement in the molestation of the girl outside a bar.
Mr Gogoi had submitted the raw audio-video footage to Assam DGP J.N. Choudhury. The police had sent the footage for forensic tests. Soon after that Gaurav Jyoti Neog resigned from the news channel. Its editor-in-chief Atanu Bhuyan, who had defended the reporter, had also resigned after a day.
The Gauhati high court Thursday rejected the reporter’s anticipatory bail petition. Neog was interrogated by the police for the past few days. Assam CM Tarun Gogoi has formed a high-level task force to study the increasing crimes against women.