Case filed against UP minister for journalist's death

A case was registered against Uttar Pradesh Minister Ram Murti Verma and five others, including a police official, following protests by family members of social media journalist Jagendra Singh, who died of burns late Monday.

The Superintendent of Police (SP), Shahjahanpur city, will conduct the investigations into the journalist's death.

The journalist, Jagendra Singh, sustained 60 percent burn injuries when the police went to arrest him on June 1.

Jagendra Singh was admitted to the Civil Hospital in Lucknow where he died late Monday night. His family members allege that he was being hounded by state Minister Ram Murti Verma's men, including police Inspector A.K. Rai.

During a visit to the hospital, senior police officer Amitabh Thakur was told by Jagendra Singh that he was first attacked by the minister's henchmen on April 28.

On June 1, he said, the attack was abetted by the police inspector.

When his family on Tuesday refused to cremate the journalist till a case was registered against the minister and the issue was taken up on the social media, the officials lodged a case against Verma and five other people, including the accused police inspector.

-- Indo-Asian News Service

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