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UP govt bargaining with journalist's family at public cost to defend minister

By Subhash Agarwal, RTI activist | PUBLISHED: 25, Jun 2015, 15:48 pm IST | UPDATED: 25, Jun 2015, 15:54 pm IST

UP govt bargaining with journalist's family at public cost to defend minister New Delhi: A relief package was aannounced by UP government to family-members of journalists Jagendersingh of Shahajahanpur (UP) who succumbed to burn-injuries on June 8 after he was burnt alive on June 1 as mentioned in his dying-declaration blaming also a minister in UP government for his burning alive. UP government should justify rupees 30-lakhs cash, life-time pension to widow of Jagendersingh, government-service to two sons of the deceased, arms-license and speedy return of family-land allegedly grabbed by others.

There being no objection for all such well-deserved relief-package to Jagender Singh’s family, but big question is if such relief is available to others also where minister/politician may not be involved?  

It is significant that five policemen were symbolically suspended (not sacked), but no action was taken against the named minister by UP government. Instead on TV news-channels, leaders of ruling party in UP made character-assassination of Jagindersingh. It has become a common practice that state-governments in order to defend their ministers, give hefty compromise-package at public-cost to family-members of victims like recently happened in infamous bus-rape incident in Punjab.

Past record shows that our money-based system ultimately acquits heavyweight politicians cutting across party-lines from such criminal cases. Apart from immediate sacking and arrest of the minister, all allegations leveled against the minister made by deceased Jagendersingh on facebook should be investigated by some agency named by Central government.

UP government should also make public daily-routine of concerned minister ever since day of incident (01.06.2015) because he is paid salary and other costly perks/privileges from public-exchequer. Rules must be changed whereby central government may directly order for CBI-enquiry in such peculiar cases rather than giving states undue liberty to specifically asked for it in name of federal structural of constitution.
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