Journalist, driver shot dead in Bhopal; road blocked to arrest culprits, scribes up in arms

 By Pervez Bari TwoCircles.net  
 
Bhopal : The law and order in the state capital of Bharatiya Janata Party ruled Madhya Pradesh took a nose dive when a member of the fourth estate and his gunman-cum-driver were gunned down here late Tuesday night sending shock waves all around. 
   
The two persons including a journalist were shot dead when they were returning to Bhopal from Vidisha. One co-passenger who survived had rushed the victims to Narmada Hospital where the victims were declared brought dead. 
    
According to the police, the deceased journalist Dr. Pawan Jain 'Vidrohi', Chief Editor of Vidrohi Dhara, an eveninger daily, along with his brother-in-law Mukesh Jain, gunman-cum-driver Sardar Singh and friend Rajendra Jain of Amrapali Housing Society had gone to nearby Vidisha town in the morning and were returning to Bhopal in the night when the incident took place.
   
A pall of gloom hung as hundreds of people belonging to the Jain community along with a number of journalists staged a road blockade today demanding immediate arrest of the culprits who had shot dead the two. The members of the Jain community, which downed the shutters of their commercial establishments for the day, brought Dr. Pawan's body from the hospital and put it on the busy Roshanpura crossing, blocking traffic for more than two hours. The blockade was withdrawn after Bhopal Superintendent of Police A.K. Singh and other police officials assured that action would be taken against the culprits.
   
Working Journalist Union Madhya Pradesh president Radhavallabh Sharda has warned that if the assailants of Dr. Virodhi are not arrested at the earliest then an agitation would be launched for the same.  
   
Madhya Pradesh Governor Dr. Balram Jakhar, Madhya Pradesh Working Journalist Union, (MPWJU), state president Jayant Verma, general secretary Anil Sadhak; MPWJU's Bhopal unit president Rajendra Kashyap, general secretary Dinesh Nigam, secretary Deepak Sharma; Indian Federation of Working Journalist's national vice president Ramgopal Sharma and many other journalists have very vehemently condemned the incident and deeply condoled Vidrohi's death.
   
On the JK Road, the assailants stopped the car of the victims on the way and opened fire from front. Over two dozen rounds were fired and some of the bullets hit both Dr. Pawan and the driver. Mukesh and Rajendra who were on the rear seat bowed down and thus survived. Later, they rushed the victims to hospital where they breathed last. 
   
According to Additional SP GK Pathak on the basis of statements, one Vineet Godha was caught, while other assailants are still at large.
   
Pawan had a property dispute with Vardhman Builders duo of Vineet Godha and Puneet Godha and on February 24, Jain had filed a complaint against them at Kamla Nagar police station alleging that the offenders had attempted to kill him by opening fire on his car. However, the police had registered a case under Section 336 instead of 307 of the Indian Penal Code, (IPC), and did not take any action against offenders.
   
The Working Journalist Union of Madhya Pradesh had taken up this issue with the state Director General of Police and demanded security for Pawan which was, however, not provided. 
   
It may be mentioned here that this correspondent had a filed a story on March 12 this year about Dr. Virodhi's dispute with the Godhas. In the story it was stated that the Vardhman Builders duo Puneet Godha and Vineet Godha were infuriated because Dr. Vidrohi had exposed the irregularity in registry of residential land showing it as agriculture land in Vidisha. The duo, thus, caused loss to the government exchequer to the tune of Rs.  9.6 million by saving stamp duty fees. Dr. Vidrohi blew the lid over the illegal transaction by publishing a detailed report about this in his newspaper on January 11, 2007. Then journalist Nemichand Jain filed a complaint about this episode with the Registrar office wherein investigations are being conducted by the authorities.                        
   
It may be recalled here that last month, an India Today correspondent was brutally attacked with swords and sticks in the city's upmarket Alkapuri area.([email protected])

SUPPORT TWOCIRCLES HELP SUPPORT INDEPENDENT AND NON-PROFIT MEDIA. DONATE HERE