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Journalist dies of burns after his house was set ablaze in UP's Balrampur

He told police that his house had been set on fire with the intention to murder him

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A Balrampur based journalist died in Lucknow Saturday morning after suffering from 90 per cent burns when miscreants set his home on fire.

Late on Friday night, the home of Rakesh Singh—a contributor to a local newspaper and a television channel—was set ablaze under suspicious circumstances. His friend Pintu Singh, who had come to visit Rakesh died in the mishap. One portion of Rakesh’s house was completely destroyed and a wall came down because of the fire.

When being treated in Balrampur, Rakesh told the police that his house had been set on fire with the intention to murder him. He had been referred to the Trauma Centre at Lucknow’s King George’s Medical University.

Rakesh had said that masked miscreants had entered his home at around 11.30pm. They first beat him up and then set fire to his home. At the time of the incident his wife and two daughters had gone to his in-law’s home. The kitchen and bedroom of Rakesh’s home in Kalwari village of Kotwali dehat area was completely devastated.

Circle Officer (city) Radha Raman Singh said that the police was investigating the matter and had taken into consideration the journalist’s previous complaints.

The chairperson of the state’s committee of accredited journalists, Hemant Tiwari, has called upon the state government for strict action against those responsible for the act.

“The journalist was under attack for quite some time right under the nose of the district administration yet no action was taken. Officials paid no heed to the deceased journalist’s demands for security. He had also expressed fear for his life. The government must arrest the culprits at once and charge them under the National Security Act”, said Tiwari who is also the vice president of the Indian Federation for Working Journalists.

The committee has also demanded that the family of the deceased be given compensation of Rs 25 lakhs and that his wife be given a job.



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