Guwahati: Angered by the court verdict in the case of a journalist's killing, various journalist and human rights organisations called for a 12-hour state-wide shutdown in Assam . The activists accused the CBI of being hand in glove with the accused. "This judgement is unfortunate. We feel that CBI is purchased by the accused. The CBI has also betrayed the people of Assam by compromising with the culprit," said Bubumoni Saikia, President, Manab Adhikar Sangram Samiti, a human rights organisation. A local court on Tuesday acquitted Mridul Phukan due to lack of evidence. He was the prime accused in Parag Das murder case that took place in 1996. Parag Das was the executive editor of Asomiya Pratidin, an Assamese vernacular daily. The judgement came 13 years after the murder took place. Das was killed on May 17, 1996 in broad daylight when he was returning home after picking up his son from school. The gunmen had pumped several bullets from point blank range, killing Das on the spot. Mridul Phukan, a surrendered rebel of United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA), is the lone surviving accused in the case, the trial for which began in 2004.
-July 30, 2009