Nitish Kumar to recommend CBI enquiry into journalist's death in Siwan

Patna: Chief Minister Nitish Kumar said the Bihar government will recommend a CBI inquiry into the killing of a journalist at Siwan in the state on 13 May. “A decision has been taken to send the inquiry into the killing of a journalist of vernacular daily at Siwan to CBI on the request of his family. After following procedural code, the recommendation for CBI investigation would be handed over today itself,” Kumar told newsmen in Patna. “When I saw in the media the (journalist’s) family’s demand for a CBI probe, I personally asked the DGP to send a police team to acquaint the family with probe. [caption id=“attachment_2783760” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Bihar CM Nitish Kumar. AFP[/caption] “Patna Zonal IG NH Khan met the family and they expressed satisfaction over the inquiry. We were prepared that if they are not satisfied, a CBI probe would be recommended in the Siwan incident,” he said. The chief minister said that no effort has been spared in investigating the killing of Rajdeo Ranjan, the Siwan district bureau chief of Hindi daily ‘Hindustan’, and in the Gaya road rage incident. “None should have any doubt that anybody would be protected in any crime. In my government, nobody is above the law irrespective of party affiliation or social standing. We believe in the principle that police should conduct investigation in any crime independently and nobody should interfere in the probe process,” Kumar said. He also called on mediapersons to be responsible citizens and share information or clue, if any, with the probe officials in the two cases. When asked about RJD strongman Mohammad Shahabuddin’s alleged link in the murder of the scribe on Saturday and progress of police investigation in the case, the chief minister called Director General of Police PK Thakur, present at the programme, and handed him over the loud speaker to answer the questions. Rubbishing the charge of return of ‘jungle raj’ in Bihar, Kumar, during the one-and-half-hour press meet, asserted that “rule of law” prevailed in the state and he was personally committed to continue it in future too. There have been allegations by NDA of return of ‘jungle raj’ under the present ruling coalition in which RJD is a partner and law and order becoming a casualty due to Kumar’s tours outside the state for programmes on prohibition. He highlighted the suspension of JD(U) MLC Manorama Devi, whose son Rocky Yadav is alleged to have killed 19-year-old student Aditya Sachdeva in an incident of road rage, and also recovery of liquor bottles from her Gaya house.