'We are in the right direction'

Says Home Minister RR Patil at special meeting to investigate killing of slain journalist; CM Chavan promises police protection to family members

Hours after senior journalist J Dey was cremated, the state has directed the Mumbai police to speed up investigations into the murder after the government received sharp criticism.

Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan, who was in Pune on Saturday when the gruesome killing of the senior scribe took place at Powai near a shopping mall, chaired a review meeting at his official residence Varsha yesterday.


Maharashtra Congress chief Kripashankar Singh pays his last respects to J Dey. Singh was at the receiving end of the media ire during the funeral

The meeting was attended by Home Minister RR Patil, DG of Information and Public Relations Vijay Nahata, Police Commissioner Arup Patnaik, Joint CP (Crime) Himanshu Roy and Joint CP (Law and Order) Rajneesh Seth.

During the one-hour meeting, the CM was informed of the ongoing investigations carried out by the police. The police is probing three different angles to the murder involvement of gangsters, the oil mafia or any other grouse.
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"It would be improper to share any clues that the police have collected as it may derail the probe and might help people involved in the crime to destroy the evidence," said Home Minister RR Patil, when asked about the investigations.

Patil further elaborated, "All I can say is that the investigation is in the right direction and the case is top priority for the police."

He will also face tough questions by the media today, as a silent morcha will be taken out from Azad Maidan to Mantralaya to protest the daylight attack on the senior journalist.

During the meeting, it has also been revealed that Patil has asked for a special law to be drafted against attacks on journalists.

Meanwhile, the CM has also stated that police protection will be provided to the family members of the slain journalist.

Maharashtra Congress chief Kripashankar Singh was at the receiving end of the media ire during the funeral of the reporter.

He was questioned over the probe and the tardy investigations.u00a0 In an attempt to appease the crowd, he said, "I requested the CM that the government must act with an iron hand against the shocking murder and the attacks in future."

Netaspeak


The problem in Mumbai is that we do not know who comes to the state and who goes away. Nobody has any control on the influx of people and the crime rate has increased phenomenally in the last 10 to 15 years. The police should find out the origins of the people who commit crime.

Outsiders, including Bangladeshis, go to any city in the state and conduct whatever business they want. You just need to check the list of criminals and you will understand the reasons behind there being a spurt in crime in Maharashtra in general and Mumbai in particular.

On Saturday, a journalist was killed and a few days before that, an upshakha pramukh of my party was killed. There is a limit to the protection provided by the police.

RR Patil says he will take action, but nothing happens. However, I have full faith in the Mumbai Police and I believe that if they are given a free hand, they can bring the crime rate down. But, for that, they have to be assured that there won't be any kind of political interference.
Raj Thackeray, MNS chief


AT least this time, Home Minister RR Patil should prove to the people of the state that the action he promises is actually carried out on the ground. If that doesn't happen, no journalist in the state will work without fear towards exposing the wrongdoings of criminals and the mafia.

We have had experiences in the past where the oil mafia killed Deputy Collector Sonavane and the state machinery simply carried out 200-250 raids in the state to put up a show. They were catching only the small fry and leaving the big fish behind.

J Dey's killing is similar to that of Sonavane the only difference being the methodology. Those caught for Sonavane's murder have been let out on bail and it is the lackadaisical attitude of the police and their collusion with criminals that has resulted in this situation.u00a0
Diwakar Raote, Shiv Sena Group leader in the Legislative Council


J Dey's killing shows that there is a total collapse of law and order in the state. This murder and the killing of RTI activists of late show that those who write and act against criminals and the mafia will be targeted, and this is a very dangerous trend. The state government should introduce an Act to stop the attacks on journalists.

Dey was working on stories about the underworld and the oil mafia. The police are aware of what is happening and the government should have taken some action. The killing of Dey is not just the murder of an individual or a journalist, but a move to shut the mouths of all those who raise their voice against the mafia in the state.
Vinod Tawde, MLC, BJP