2019, Vol. 1, Issue 1, Part A

This paper examines the role of the agenda-setting function in the Assam violence case. In July 2012, violence in the Indian state of Assam took place with riots between indigenous Bodos and Bengali-speaking Muslims. The riots were reported to have taken place on 20 July 2012. At least 108 people died, and over 400,000 people were forced to live in 250 relief camps, after being affected by violence in almost 400 villages. Many people have been reported missing. The ethnic tensions followed by the violence of 2012 between the indigenous Bodo people and Bengali-speaking Muslims left a permanent wound in the region. The Bengali-speaking Muslims claim to be descendants of East Bengali Muslims brought to Assam by the Britishers for labor work, whereas Bodo indigenous communities allege the Muslim population has gone up after the refugees rushed from the erstwhile East Pakistan where civil war and human rights violations broke out in 1971.

How 4 Indian National dailies dealt with the issue while covering the same. It is observed that all the Four national dailies paid attention as expected from the media. The data is collected for the quantitative and qualitative analysis.