Bhopal: Scribe’s death; Govt recommends CBI probe

Bhopal: Scribe’s death; Govt recommends CBI probe

Staff ReporterUpdated: Wednesday, May 29, 2019, 11:12 PM IST
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Bhopal: The state government on Tuesday recommended CBI probe into the death of a TV journalist Sandeep Sharma who was crushed by a truck in Bhind on Monday. Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan made the recommendation at a meeting held to discuss the law and order situation in the state.

Home minister Bhupendra Singh who was present at the meeting said the chief minister’s recommendation for a CBI probe would be implemented. The process to hand over the probe to the CBI also started. The Congress also demanded a CBI probe, because it was not clear from the CCTV footage whether the journalist died accidentally or he was murdered.

A sting operation on SDOP Indraveer Singh Bhadauria, carried out by Sharma four months ago, could raise a question mark on the police department. The death of Sharma turned out to be high profile, because the sting operation he carried out was related to the police-sand mafia nexus.

Meanwhile, the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has taken suo motu cognizance of a media report stating that a journalist who had complained about threats to his life after he carried out a sting operation on illegal sand mining was mowed down by a truck in Bhind.

Just before his death, Sharma was talking on his phone outside a police station. The commission issued notices to the chief secretary and the director general of police, MP, calling for a detailed report in the matter within four weeks.
The commission observed that the contents of the news report, if true, indicated towards negligence on the part of administration, especially the police who failed to save a precious human life.

The death of the journalist is indicative of violation of human rights as well as democratic values and also callousness of the state administration for not taking appropriate steps for protecting the life of the scribe who reportedly complained about the threats to his life, the commission said. The commission also noted that it did not receive any such complaint as mentioned in the news report.

NHRC also observed that the death of a journalist, who had reportedly exposed certain unlawful activities, was doing his duty and his death is a matter of concern.  Sharma expressed apprehension that he could be killed by the sand mafia. Vikas Purohit, nephew of the journalist, made a complaint to the police alleging that his uncle had been facing threat to life because of the recent sting operation he had carried out on the sand mafia.

He also mentioned that several authorities, including the Human Rights Commission were requested to provide security to him. The journalist had to record his statement against the SDPO and was being threatened by some unidentified people. The SP of Bhind has reportedly stated that the application given by Sharma was being examined.

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