Journalist murder case: Will ensure no injustice is meted out, says Akhilesh Yadav

Bahraich: A day after Uttar Pradesh Cabinet Minister Shivpal Yadav said that no minister will be sacked without probe in the murder case of a journalist, Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav on Tuesday asserted that his government would ensure that no injustice is meted to anyone. “Samajwadis (socialists) always fought against injustice. My government will ensure that no injustice is meted out to anyone,” Yadav told reporters in Bahraich. [caption id=“attachment_951971” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Akhilesh Yadav. PTI[/caption] He was asked about the murder of journalist Jagendra Singh in Shahjahanpur which state minister Ram Murti Verma has been accused of orchestrating. Shivpal Yadav had yesterday said, “Some issues have come. So, I want to tell you that no minister will be sacked without probe.” “We will not sack anyone as earlier also allegations were leveled but later proved baseless during probe. Be it Badaun case or allegations against minister (Raghuraj Pratap Singh) of Raja Bhaiya, all were proved wrong. Raja Bhaiya was given clean chit by CBI later,” Shivpal had said. The journalist, Jagendra Singh, was allegedly set on fire by policemen on 1 June during a raid at his house at Vikas Colony in Sadar Bazar, Shahjahanpur. An FIR was registered against Verma and five others, including policemen, at Puwayan police station of Shahjahanpur by victim’s son Raghvendra.  Singh died during treatment at a hospital on 8 June. The FIR was lodged under IPC 302 (murder), 120 B (criminal conspiracy), 504 (intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of the peace) and 506 (criminal intimidation). The journalist had reportedly invited Verma’s ire by posting reports on Facebook about illegal mining activities and land grabbing against the minister. The video footage of dying declaration which went viral on news channels and social media, showing Jagendra Singh saying, “Why did they have to burn me? If the minister and his goons had a grudge, they could have beaten me instead of pouring kerosene and burning me.” The murder has raised a storm in journalistic fraternity, political parties and social activists. A PIL had also been filed in the the Allahabad High Court seeking directions for CBI probe and strict action against erring persons in the murder case. PTI