The three-member fact finding team constituted by the Press Council of India (PCI) has found the allegations against BJP legislator from Simaria Ganesh Ganju true. The team that had toured Chatra a few days after the brutal murder of local journalist Indradev Yadav alias Akhilesh Pratap Singh Yadav, also reached to a conclusion that the slain scribe had had his past associations with leftwing ultras.
Sharing some details of the fact finding report with this newspaper, a member of the team comprising Prabhat Kumar Dash, Sondeep Sarkar and Rajiv Ranjan Nag said that the murder was committed for reasons extraneous to Yadav’s known profession.
“It may have less relevance but we came to a conclusion that Indradev Yadav working with a local news channel was killed not because of his journalistic activities and there was demand of levy from splinter group TSPC from him. Also, arrest of close aides of Simlaria MlA Ganesh Ganju proves his involvement into the murder. His brother Mukesh Ganju is a leader of the TSPC who is still evading the arrest,” said one of the members.
The team also snubbed the argument in defence of Ganju that the MlA had himself demanded for a CBI probe into the case. It maintained that the MlA raised the demand only after involvement of his brother in the case became clear. The PCI report nonetheless referred to Yadav’s past which, it claimed, was not so clean.
“The past link of the Yadav with MCC extremists may be another angle to the murder along with his financial involvement with the booty money of MCC. We were unanimous that the murder was not due to professional activities,” he added.
The committee in its recommendations to the State Government has demanded for financial compensation and teaching job to the widow of the killed journalist besides, accommodation to the aggrieved family.
The team had visited the State in May this year and after touring Chatra and consulting local district administration met Governor Droupadi Murmu, Principal Secretary to the Chief Minister Sanjay Kumar and host of others besides, scribes.