Journalist dead, Sirsa demands action against religious body he wrote about

A near total bandh was observed in Sirsa to condole the death of the editor of a local eveninger, Poora Sach, who died yesterday of injuries...

A near total bandh was observed in Sirsa to condole the death of the editor of a local eveninger, Poora Sach, who died yesterday of injuries in a shooting incident here last month.

Ram Chander Chaterpatti, 52, passed away in Delhi. He had reportedly incurred the wrath of Dera Sacha Sauda, a religious body, following his reports on alleged irregularities and sex scandals within its premises.

Markets and commercial establishments in Sirsa were closed while lawyers abstained from courts. Schools in the town remained shut. Private hospitals were admitting only emergency cases.

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One of Chaterpatti’s daughters said: ‘‘My father had been writing against the Dera for long and he had been threatened many times.’’

Sirsa Superintendent of Police Attar Singh Ahlawat said investigations into the case were on and action would be taken against the guilty. He added that the weapon used in the attack allegedly belonged to the manager of the Dera, Krishan. Krishan and two others have been arrested.

The journalists of Sirsa have demanded a CBI probe into the death, alleging that the functionaries of the Dera were trying to hamper the investigation. A team of journalists had met Haryana DGP M.S. Malik in Chandigarh yesterday and demanded action against the religious group.

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