New Delhi: After the Union information and technology ministry, now the Union home ministry has ordered a probe into the alleged role of four Assamese outlets in propagating terror ideologies through their platforms and provoking the youth to join militancy.

The action came in the wake of a complaint by the RSS-backed rights body Legal Rights Observatory (LRO).

"The Union home ministry has ordered Assam home secretary Ashutosh Agnihotri and Assam DGP to investigate these media outlets and their owners for their role in spreading militant ideologies and actively assisting fresh recruitment of Assam youth in banned militant groups by running loud media propaganda," LRO told MyNation.

The rights body had lodged a complaint with MHA and the IT ministry to investigate the role of four Assam media outlets and their owners, their financial transactions, source of income and possible flow of funds from foreign intelligence agencies and banned terrorist groups. 

In its complaint, LRO said, “Since the issue of Citizenship Amendment Bill 2016 started creating waves in North East India, many media houses based in Assam started exploiting the situation for their own benefit. Defunct militant group ULFA has launched fresh recruitment drive in Assam by using media created unrest.”

LRO alleged that TV channel Pratidin Time, Asomiya Pratidin newspaper, Prag news and InsideNE news website,  were “directly broadcasting videos and propaganda material of newly inducted militants in battle fatigue to propagate militant ideology and to give a fresh boost to ULFA and other militant groups.”

The rights body sounded caution, saying, “If the government continues to ignore their blatant, violent propaganda, it will continue to create new militants with fresh blood in Assam and situation will worsen during Lok Sabha elections.”

“On numerous occasions in the recent past, all media outlets mentioned here have openly professed the need to take up arms to fight against the Central government and broadcasting propaganda videos of ULFA cadres along with telephonic interviews of absconding ULFA chief,” the LRO said in the complaint.