Journalists’ Forum Assam (JFA) expressed shock over the killing of one more scribe in Bihar on 12 November 2016. The unidentified criminals shot dead Dharmendra Kumar Singh, who was associated with Hindi daily Dainik Bhaskar, at Amra Talaab locality of Sasaram in Rohtash district.
Singh, 38, was at a tea stall outside his residence during the morning hours, when three motor cycle-borne criminals fired at him indiscriminately. He was brought to the hospital, but Singh succumbed to his injuries on the way. Local journalists suspect that the stone-crusher mafia was involved in the killing as Singh used to expose their illegal activities.
The Indian robust media fraternity thus lost sixth scribe this year after Tarun Mishra (Uttar Praedesh), Indradev Yadav / Akhilesh Pratap Singh (Jharkhand), Rajdeo Ranjan (Bihar), Anshita Bawa (Punjab), and Kishore Dave (Gujarat) were silenced by the assailants.
Cautioning Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar to take some visible actions against the murders as his State witnessed the assassination of two scribes this year, the JFA reiterates its old demand for a special protection law for the benefit of brave journalists across the country.
“Last year, we lost five journalists namely Jagendra Singh (UP), Sandeep Kothari (Madhya Pradesh), Raghavendra Dube (Maharashtra), Hemant Yadav (UP) and Mithilesh Pandey (Bihar) to the goons,” said a statement issued by JFA president Rupam Barua and secretary Nava Thakuria adding, “How may scribes have to die to compel the Union government to formulate a national action plan for safeguarding the media persons in India.”
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