×
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT

Shahabuddin was upset with scribe's reports

Last Updated 18 May 2016, 19:34 IST

 Though five days have elapsed since the district bureau chief of a leading Hindi daily Hindustan, Rajdeo Ranjan, was gunned down in Siwan, the police have failed to nab the assailants.

Incidentally, the sensational murder case has now been referred to the CBI for investigation. But the Special Investigation Team (SIT) of the Bihar Police continued with its raids to hunt out the sharp-shooters of Md Shahabuddin, the former MP, lodged in Siwan jail.

The RJD leader, cooling his heels behind bars, is suspected to be behind the killing of the journalist, though the police have so far refrained from directly naming him an accused in view of the RJD being a ruling alliance partner in Bihar. Notwithstanding the political compulsions, the police conducted raids in Siwan jail on Wednesday but could not find anything incriminating from the cell of incarcerated ex-MP Shahabuddin. A separate police team has been despatched to Bengal to nab the shooters. The police want to gather concrete evidence before pointing an accusing finger at Shahabuddin, who is serving life-term for his involvement in several abduction and murder cases.

Family sources say Shahabuddin was angry with the slain journalist for making public the photograph of Nitish’s minister’s Abdul Ghafoor dining with Shahabuddin in the jail. “At least four of my husband’s reports had angered Shahabuddin. The latest report-cum-photograph being the one in which Nitish’s minister was seen meeting Shahabuddin in Siwan jail,” Rajdeo’s widow Asha Devi told local media.

Sources close to the family said that Rajdeo had earlier received threat when he wrote that Shahabuddin was suspected to be behind the killing of Siwan MP Om Prakash Yadav’s media advisor Srikant Bharti in November 2014.

Unesco condemns journalists’ killings

Unesco Director-General Irina Bokova on Wednesday called on authorities in India to investigate the murders of two journalists to prevent impunity for crimes and freedom of expression “from taking root”, PTI reports from London.

Akhilesh Pratap Singh and Rajdev Ranjan were killed in separate incidents in Jharkhand and Bihar respectively in less than 24 hours.

“I condemn the murders of Akhilesh Pratap Singh and Rajdev Ranjan,” Bokova said.
“I call on the authorities to investigate these killings to prevent impunity for crimes against freedom of expression and freedom of information from taking root.”
Ranjan, Bihar’s Siwan district chief of Hindi daily “Hindustan”, was shot dead when he was going on his motorcycle near a fruit market on May 13.

ADVERTISEMENT
(Published 18 May 2016, 19:34 IST)

Follow us on

ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT