Journalist burnt to death in MP, SIT to investigate

A local journalist in a Madhya Pradesh town was burnt to death, his kin alleged on Thursday. The gory incident took place in Shahgarh in Sagar district on Wednesday.

Sagar district superintendent of police Amit Sanghi on Thursday constituted a special investigation team (SIT) to probe the incident.

According to the police, the 40-year-old deceased, Chakresh Jain, who was writing for different Hindi dailies, was found in a deserted place with 90 percent burn injuries on Wednesday and admitted in the local hospital.

He later succumbed to his injuries.

Curiously, local additional agriculture officer Oman Choudhury, who had a running legal feud with the deceased for the last one year, got himself admitted in the local hospital with 20 burn injuries on Wednesday morning.

The district officer also recorded a statement before a magistrate alleging that Chakresh barged into his house and tried to set him on fire, causing burn injuries to him.

A few hours later, Chakresh was found lying in a deserted place with serious burn injuries.

Incidentally, the police failed to take his dying statement when he was admitted in the hospital.

However, his brother alleged hand of the district officer in the incident.

Local journalists on Thursday staged demonstration in front of the local tehsildar’s office and submitted a memorandum to the Madhya Pradesh chief minister Kamal Nath demanding a high level probe into the incident. According to the police, the district officer had filed a case under SC/ST (Atrocities) Act against the deceased a year ago and the hearing in the case was nearing completion in the local court.