Missing Bihar journalist killed; eyes gouged out, body mutilated
The decomposed body of a young journalist was found in Bihar's East Champaran district on Tuesday, three days after his disappearance. The killers reportedly removed both eyes of the deceased, Manish Kumar Singh. A native of Paharpur village, Singh was associated with a private channel and his father Sanjay Kumar Singh is an editor of a Hindi newspaper, Areraj Darshan. Here are more details.
Sanjay Kumar Singh said the journalist had left home three days ago to attend a get-together in Mathlohiar Gaddi Tola village. "He had posted a photograph of...party of himself and two other journalist friends...at 8:42 pm. Since then, he was missing and we lost contact with him," he added. Later when searched, his motorcycle was found abandoned in a suspicious condition from Math Lohiar.
DSP Santosh Kumar said after the journalist went missing, his family lodged an FIR naming 12 persons including the two other journalists who were with him at the get-together. "The father suspects that he has a property dispute with his cousin brothers and they may be involved in his murder." The victim's family also suspects the involvement of criminals whom the journalist had exposed.
While police were investigating the matter, some villagers on Tuesday spotted a pair of shoes in the farm land. When they searched further, the dead body was found from Sareh village. "The dead body was in a semi-decomposed state," Kumar said.
The police said they have arrested both suspected journalists and is interrogating them. "We have arrested journalists Amarendra and Ashlaj Alam. A bag belonging to Manish was also found in the house of Amarendra," DSP Santosh Kumar said. East Champaran Superintendent of Police Navin Chandra Jha said a special investigation team has been constituted to probe the murder.
