Maharashtra Home Minister should resign: journalists
Adopting an aggressive stand, journalists' organisations here on Saturday demanded resignation of Maharashtra Home Minister R R Patil and suspension of Mumbai Police Commissioner Aroop Patnaik, placing moral responsibility on both of them for the murder of journalist J Dey.
Dey, a senior journalist with Mid-Day, was shot dead on Saturday afternoon by unidentified assailants in suburban Powai.
"On Monday, journalists from Mumbai would take out a morcha from Patrakar Sangh to Mantralay to press these demands. They will submit a memorandum to the Chief Minister. If Patil does not resign on his own, journalists would request the CM and the Governor to sack him," said Prasad Mokashi, President, Mumbai Marathi Patrakar Sangh, at a meeting here.
Senior journalist Jatin Desai said that J Dey had given a report to the Home Minister about some police officials who had links with the underworld, but nothing happened. In the last few years, 125 journalists had been threatened or in some cases attacked, in the state, he said.
Mantralay and Vidhi-Mandal Vartahar Sangh's secretary, Surendra Gangan, was also present at the meeting.
Journalists across the state should wear a black badge to register protest, and hold protest rallies outside district collector's offices demanding Patil's resignation and suspension of Mumbai police commissioner on Monday, it was decided in the meeting.
Prafull Marpakwar, senior journalist, alleged that the state of affairs was so bad that the Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan was in the dark about the incident even five hours after Dey was shot.
Earlier, Mokashi alleged that Dey had been exposing the police-underworld nexus, which might have led to the murder.
Echoing the view, President of Television Journalists' Association, Shashikant Sandhbor, said that murder proved that ‘police-underworld nexus exists in the city’.
"We demand that the Home Ministry should conduct a thorough investigation. Also, it should come up with a report on the past cases where journalists have been attacked, and the status of probe," Sandhbor said.
"A proper investigation should be conducted into this dastardly murder. Crime reporters should be protected," Aniket Joshi, President, Mantralaya and Vidhi Mandal Varthahar Sangh, said.
Press Club of Mumbai too said in a statement that the killing underlined the increasing threat faced by investigative journalists from powerful political and business interests who indulged in illegal activities.
Patrakar Halla Virodhi Kruti Samiti (action committee against attacks on journalists) said that Home Minister Patil and Mumbai Police Commissioner should resign.
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