Guwahati molestation case: TV reporter who quit to be grilled by police

Guwahati: Gaurav Jyoti Neog, a reporter from the news channel that filmed and broadcast a young girl being molested by a mob in Guwahati, will be interrogated by the Assam Police.

Senior officers have told the Home Ministry that Mr Neog appears to be a good friend of the main accused in the case, a man named Amar Jyoti Kalita, who remains untraceable despite being clearly visible in the footage. Seven people have been arrested so far for their role in the molestation that has outraged the country.

Mr Neog was at the pub in Guwahati where the crime took place. He says the allegations that he orchestrated the incident for camera, or instigated the mob to molest the victim, are baseless. He resigned from the TV channel News Live over the weekend to ensure a free and fair trial, according to his news editor.

On July 10, a young girl who was at a pub with her friends, emerged onto the street and had a fight with one of the boys who was part of her group. In minutes, a mob of 30 people fell upon her. Mr Neog says he summoned another reporter and camera from his channel because the mob was too powerful to fight. The reporters decided they would film the incident as evidence because there was no other way to help the victim. She was beaten, pushed and groped for 30 minutes. Mr Kalita, wearing a red shirt, is seen smiling on camera; he tried to rip her shirt off. On Facebook, he is seen wearing the same clothes in his profile photo; he refers to himself as ‘James Bond.’

Akhil Gogoi, a local activist, says the channel edited the video and audio to remove Mr Neog’s shouts to the mob that provoked them into a frenzy. Mr Gogoi has not shared the footage he cites with anyone; he says he will present it to the National Commission for Women.