Scribe who took on liquor mafia ‘killed in accident’
Pratapgarh (UP), June 14: The Uttar Pradesh Police on Monday registered a case of murder after a journalist of a private news channel, who had recently reported on the liquor mafia, died here in what appeared to be a road accident.
Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav demanded a high-level inquiry into the death, terming it “mysterious”, while West Bengal Chief Minister and TMC leader Mamata Banerjee expressed shock over the demise of the ABP journalist, saying “we are unable to save lives who are working tirelessly towards unfolding the truth”.
“Sulabh Srivastava had gone for news coverage to the Kotwali Lalganj area on Sunday and was returning home late in the night. He was found seriously injured near the Sukhpal Nagar brick kiln and was taken to the district hospital, where doctors declared him dead,” Superintendent of Police
Akash reporters.
His motorcycle rammed into a pole near the brick kiln under the Kotwali police station area in Pratapgarh district, police said.
The 42-year-old reporter had recently run a news story against the liquor mafia, and had on June 12 written a letter to the Prayagraj additional director general of police seeking security.
His wife, Renuka Srivastava, in her police complaint said her husband was being threatened for doing a story against the liquor mafia and the Prayagraj additional director general of
Tomar
told police was informed about it in writing but no effective action was taken.
“Because of this, unknown mafia elements murdered my husband on Sunday night while he was returning from Lalganj after news coverage,” she said in her complaint.
The murder case, registered on the basis of the complaint, is against unknown persons and investigations have started, the superintendent of police said, adding that the last rites were performed in Allahabad after postmortem.
Samajwadi Party president Yadav in a tweet in Hindi said, “The mysterious death of a TV reporter in an alleged accident is extremely sad.”
“The BJP government in this case should constitute a high-level probe, and tell the family members and the public that despite the apprehension of murder by the liquor mafia expressed by the reporter, why he was not provided security”. —