Scribe death: No sacking of ministers sans probe, says UP
16 Jun 2015 5:43 AM IST
"Some issues have come up. So, I want to tell you that no minister will be sacked without probe," said Cabinet minister Shivpal Yadav, when asked about minister Ram Murti Verma's alleged involvement in murder of a journalist in Shahjahanpur.
"We will not sack anyone as allegations were levelled earlier also but proved baseless after <g data-gr-id="42">probe</g>. Be it the Badaun case (alleged rape of Dalit sisters) or allegations against minister Raja Bhaiya (Raghuraj Pratap Singh)... all were proved wrong. Raja Bhaiya was given a clean chit by CBI later," Yadav said.
When asked if an enquiry was held for the accused minister, Yadav said: "Interrogation is going on... probe is on."
Verma is an accused in <g data-gr-id="31">murder</g> of journalist <g data-gr-id="44">Jagendra</g> Singh, who was allegedly set on fire by policemen on June 1 during a raid at his <g data-gr-id="45">Awaas</g> Vikas Colony house in Shahjahanpur.
Singh's family had registered an FIR against Verma and five others, including policemen, at the Puwayan police station of Shahjahanpur, after he died during treatment at a hospital on June 8. The FIR was lodged under various sections, including that of murder, of the IPC.
The video footage of dying declaration, which went viral on news channels and social media showed <g data-gr-id="43">Jagendra</g> Singh stating: "Why did they have to burn me? If the minister and his goons had a grudge, they could have beaten me instead of pouring kerosene and burning me."
The journalist had invited Verma's ire by posting reports on Facebook about illegal mining activities and land grabbing against the minister. The incident has not only raised a storm among journalists, political parties and social activists, but also Washington-based US journalists watchdog, which has called for a swift, credible and transparent investigation in the case.
A PIL has also been filed in the Allahabad High Court, seeking directions for CBI probe and strict action against erring persons in the scribe's murder case. When asked about allegations on another state minister Kailash Chaurasia for assaulting a transport department official in Mirzapur, Yadav said <g data-gr-id="37">probe</g> is on in the matter.
Meanwhile, Yadav claimed that the law and order situation in UP was the best among all states and said women are safe in Uttar Pradesh even in the night.
Court to hear PIL for CBI probe
Lucknow: Hearing on the admissibility of a PIL, seeking directions for a CBI probe into the alleged killing of a journalist in Shahjahanpur, could not take place on Monday due to <g data-gr-id="56">paucity</g> of time. It is likely to come up for hearing on Tuesday. The PIL was filed on June 11 by an NGO and was listed for hearing before a vacation division bench of Justice Shree Narain Shukla and Justice Pratyush Kumar, but could not be heard. The petition claimed that the incident was so serious in nature that it called for a CBI probe.
Scribe attacked in Pilibhit, four booked
Pilibhit: A journalist was allegedly attacked by a group of people in the city. Four persons have been booked in the case, police said. The incident comes on the heels of the case of <g data-gr-id="75">murder</g> of a journalist in Shahjahanpur, in which a minister is accused. Pilibhit SP JK Shahi said Haider, a TV reporter, said he was attacked on Sunday by one Anand and his associates as he had covered stories, which had not gone down well with the accused. "Yesterday, I got a call regarding a robbery. But when I reached the spot, Anand and 3-4 men surrounded me and started beating me up. They hit me with the butt of a revolver and also dragged me for 100m by a car," alleged Haider. The SP said Haider has been sent for a medical test.
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