Killing of a 30-year-old correspondent of the largest circulated vernacular newspaper in Assam by some unidentified assailants at Mourajhar area in Hojai in Nagaon district of Central Assam rocked the Assam Assembly on Thursday with Opposition members demanding action from the government to nab culprits.

The Mourjhar-based scribe Muslimuddin, who would write bold stories exposing nexus of criminals, politicians, drug mafias and corrupt officials at local level, was hacked to death by assailants on 1 April while he was returning home.

The killing of the scribe has stirred up strong protests by journalists all over the state even as the executive editor of the Daily newspaper he worked for has stated that killing of Muslimuddin was a great loss, given that he had been exposing misdeeds politicians, bureaucrats, drug mafias active in his area of operation.

The executive editor said he had been eliminated by "a vicious circle that failed to buy out the uncompromising journalist" and demanded exemplary punishment to the culprits involved.

Journalists all over the state have condemned the state government for failing to provide protection to the members of the Fourth Estate who have been facing threat from insurgents, anti-socials, corrupt politicians and bureaucrats.

Meanwhile, the government has assured the Assembly that it was committed to providing protection to journalists working in the state. Cabinet minister Rockybul Hussain said three persons suspected to be involved in the killing had been arrested while the Nagaon district police superintendent had been instructed to personally supervise the investigation.