The death of journalist Jagendra Singh due to burn injuries had led to a major controversy
Lucknow: The death of journalist Jagendra Singh due to burn injuries had led to a major controversy in Uttar Pradesh with the FIR naming a UP minister and five others for the incident.
The Shahjahanpur–based journalist was set on fire during a police raid in his house on June 1 and his family members claim that a police officer set him on fire for an allegedly derogatory Facebook post against UP minister Ram Murti Varma.
The family also claims that Gufran, an aide of the minister, had accompanied the police team during the raid. The police, meanwhile, insist that the journalist immolated himself during the police raid and received about 60 per cent burn injuries in the incident.
IG (law and order) Satish Ganesh said on Tuesday that the FIR lodged by the deceased’s brother Rajendra Singh names UP minister Ram Murti Varma, Prakash Rai, SHO, Gufran, Brahma Kumar, Abhay Singh and Akash Gupta. He said that investigations into the case had already begun. The case has been registered under Sections 302, 120-B, 504 and 506 of the IPC.
Jagendra Singh, who succumbed to his injuries on Monday night, reportedly told IG civil defence Amitabh Thakur, who visited him in hospital, that minister Ram Murti Varma had ‘unleashed’ a reign of terror on him and his family for his investigative reports.
“Jagendra told me that he was being hounded for exposing the minister’s alleged involvement in illegal mining and forcible occupation of land in the district. He said he was also attacked in April,” the IG told.
( Source : deccan chronicle )
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