JFA expresses shock at Bihar scribe’s murder

By NJ Thakuria
Guwahati: Journalists’ Forum Assam (JFA) expresses shock at the murder
of a Bihar  based journalist and the mysterious death of a Jharkhand
based scribe within 24 hours. The Assam based media rights body
reiterated its old demand for a national action plan to safeguard the
media persons and ensure justice to the media victims.

Local media reports confirm that a working journalist  (Brajesh Kumar
Singh, 28) was shot dead at Salakhni village under Samastipur district
of north Bihar on 3 January evening by some unidentified goons.
Brajesh, who received serious injuries on his head, died on the spot.
Earlier on 2 January, another young  journalist of Hazaribag in
Jharkhand  (Hari Prakash, 31) was found dead at a field near Kud
village. Hari, also a law graduate, used to work for a Hindi daily and
he was untraced for three days. According to his father Jitan Mahato,
Hari  was missing since 30 December and he never returned home.
Mahato, in a FIR to the police, claimed that his son was abducted and
murdered by  Hari’s known friends.
“It is very surprising that Bihar has slowly turned into a killing
ground for journalists. The State has lost three scribes to assailants
in the last nine months. Last year Bihar lost two journalists namely
Rajdeo Ranjan (13 May) and Dharmendra Kumar Singh (12 November) to
perpetrators,” said a statement issued by JFA  president Rupam  Barua.
The JFA also urged Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar to come clean
with adequate plans for security and justice to the families of journo
victims. It also requested the government to adequately compensate the
families of murdered scribes.