UP journalist death: Police register murder case; Samajwadi Party demands high-level inquiry

The Uttar Pradesh Police on Monday registered a case of murder after a journalist of a private news channel, who had recently reported on the liquor mafia, died here in what appeared to be a road accident.

Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav demanded a high-level inquiry into the death, terming it ''mysterious'', while West Bengal Chief Minister and TMC leader Mamata Banerjee expressed shock over the demise of the ABP journalist, saying ''we are unable to save lives who are working tirelessly towards unfolding the truth''.

''Sulabh Srivastava had gone for news coverage to the Kotwali Lalganj area on Sunday and was returning home late in the night. He was found seriously injured near the Sukhpal Nagar brick kiln and was taken to the district hospital, where doctors declared him dead,'' Superintendent of Police Akash Tomar told reporters.

His motorcycle rammed into a pole near the brick kiln under the Kotwali police station area in Pratapgarh district, police said.

The 42-year-old reporter had recently run a news story against the liquor mafia, and had on June 12 written a letter to the Prayagraj additional director general of police seeking security.

His wife, Renuka Srivastava, in her police complaint said her husband was being threatened for doing a story against the liquor mafia and the Prayagraj additional director general of police was informed about it in writing but no effective action was taken.

''Because of this, unknown mafia elements murdered my husband on Sunday night while he was returning from Lalganj after news coverage,'' she said in her complaint.

The murder case, registered on the basis of the complaint, is against unknown persons and investigations have started, the superintendent of police said, adding that the last rites were performed in Allahabad after postmortem.

Earlier, Additional Superintendent of Police Surendra Dwivedi said Sulabh Srivastava died in a crash while returning from Asrahi village under the Lalganj police station area after reporting on an illegal arms manufacturing unit which was busted there.

Following the crash, the severely injured reporter was taken to the district hospital where doctors declared him dead, he said, adding that police are probing various angles.

Samajwadi Party president Yadav in a tweet in Hindi said, ''The mysterious death of a TV reporter in an alleged accident is extremely sad.'' ''The BJP government in this case should constitute a high-level probe, and tell the family members and the public that despite the apprehension of murder by the liquor mafia expressed by the reporter, why he was not provided security''.

Expressing grief over the death of the reporter, Chief Minister Banerjee said, ''Shocked at the demise of ABP journalist Sulabh Srivastava in Uttar Pradesh. Sad to see that despite ''democracy & freedom'' being a part of our ethos, we are unable to save lives who are working tirelessly towards unfolding the truth.'' Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra hit out at the Uttar Pradesh government, accusing it of ''nurturing jungle raj''.

''The liquor mafia from Aligarh to Pratapgarh: has caused death throughout the state. The government is silent,'' Priyanka Gandhi said in a tweet in Hindi.

''Journalists uncover the truth, warn the administration about the dangers. The government is asleep,'' she alleged.

Does the government that is ''nurturing jungle raj'' have any answers for the tears of the family of journalist Sulabh Srivastava, Priyanka Gandhi asked.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)