Assam Congress President and Jorhat MP Gaurav Gogoi today strongly condemned Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma’s response to a chilling threat made against journalist Rana Deka and his eight-year-old child. Gogoi described the CM’s reaction as “casual and unacceptable,” accusing him of trivialising a matter that concerns the safety of citizens and their families.
Gogoi said in a statement, “The journalist was clearly terrified after hearing a threat to his young child, yet the CM brushed it off lightly. Is this how he treats threats to citizens and their children?” He questioned whether the Chief Minister would guarantee protection to everyone under such danger or continue sweeping serious incidents under the carpet.
“A Chief Minister must protect the people, not trivialise their fear,” Gogoi added, calling the CM’s approach “unacceptable.” 
The uproar follows reports that retired IAS officer Hitesh Dev Sarma allegedly made a threatening phone call on the night of November 21 to Rana Deka, in which he menaced both the journalist and the child. The threat is said to be linked to a news report aired on NKTV Plus involving Sarma’s son, Geetarth Dev Sarma, an APS officer accused of assaulting a fan of the late singer Zubeen Garg in Baksa district.
Earlier today, the Assam government announced that legal action will be taken against Hitesh Dev Sarma. Chief Minister Sarma declared that such threats to journalists will not be tolerated under any circumstance.
The incident also comes amid heightened tension: it coincided with the transfer of individuals implicated in the mysterious death of Zubeen Garg including Shyamkanu Mahanta and Siddharth Sharma from Guwahati to Baksa District Jail, which reportedly triggered unrest outside the facility.
