Journalism of Courage
Following demands made by the family, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Monday recommended a CBI probe into the murder of Siwan journalist Rajdev Ranjan.
Nitish asserted that the culprit would not be spared, irrespective of political affiliation or social stature, and added, “Hamari sarkaar chehra dekhkar karyawai nahi karti (our government does not look at a person’s identity while carrying out a probe).”
Ranjan, the Siwan bureau chief of Hindi daily Hindustan, was shot dead Friday evening. On Monday, after Nitish’s announcement that the state government would hand over the probe to CBI, Ranjan’s wife Asha Ranjan said the family is satisfied with the decision, as it has “no faith” in a police probe.
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The state’s Director General of Police, P K Thakur, present alongside Nitish at the latter’s weekly janta darbar, said the police have identified the main shooter, “who had fled Siwan with his family soon after the incident”, and are now looking for him and the weapon used in the crime.
A senior officer said: “Once we get the main shooter, he will reveal names of the main conspirators.”
Siwan police have so far detained 15 people, most of them said to have direct or indirect connections with jailed RJD strongman Mohammed Shahabuddin. The police are yet to get any substantial evidence to name the former MP as a conspirator in the case. BJP leader Sushil Kumar Modi has alleged that Ranjan was killed on the “instructions of the Siwan muscleman”.
According to sources, one reason for the government agreeing to hand over this probe to the CBI within four days of Ranjan’s murder, while not conceding to similar demands made by slain Gaya teenager Aditya Sachdeva’s family, is the “political consideration”. A police investigation closing in on possible involvement of Shahabuddin could have disturbed JD(U)’s equations with the RJD, they said.
Gaya murder: Rocky’s cousin surrenders
Teni Yadav, cousin of Rakesh Ranjan Yadav alias Rocky, main accused in the murder of Gaya youth Aditya Sachdeva, surrendered before a court on Monday.
