Headlines
Delhi journalist covering Vyapam scam dead; Congress demands probe
Bhopal/New Delhi, July 4
A journalist from a
Delhi-based TV channel who was covering the massive recruitment scam in
the Madhya Pradesh Vyavsayik Pareeksha Mandal (Vyapam) fell ill and
died in a hospital on Saturday, officials said.
Akshay Singh of TV channel Aaj Tak died in Jhabua on Saturday afternoon.
The
Congress party voiced concern about the "more than 40 mysterious deaths
of individuals associated with the Vyapam scam". The party said the
issue needs to be probed thoroughly.
Akshay Singh was in Madhya
Pradesh for coverage of the recent deaths due to the scam in the Madhya
Pradesh Professional Examination Board (MPPEB) or Vyapam.
On
Saturday, he was in Meghnagar in Jhabua to talk to the family members of
scam-accused Namrata Damor, who was found dead under mysterious
circumstances.
Jhabua Superintendent of Police Abid Khan told
IANS that Akshay Singh and his two colleagues interviewed the family
members for around an hour, after which the journalist suddenly fell
ill. He was taken to a hospital, where doctors declared him dead.
Sources
said that after the interview was over, Akshay Singh and his colleagues
went to get some documents photocopied, when he fell ill and began
foaming at the mouth.
The alleged manipulation in the selection
process for government jobs in Madhya Pradesh, conducted by Vyapam, is
being probed by a Special Investigation Team.
Congress leader
R.S. Surjewala said in a statement: "The Congress party is pained at and
condoles the untimely death of Akshay Singh, the Aaj Tak/India Today
reporter investigating the Vyapam Scam in Madhya Pradesh.
"His
death, coming after more than 40 mysterious deaths of individuals
associated with the Vyapam scam raises very serious concerns and
questions and needs to be investigated thoroughly and impartially."
The
India Today Group, in a statement, said it was deeply saddened by the
untimely death of Akshay Singh, who was working with Aaj Tak as a
special correspondent since December 2013.
It said Akshay Singh
was part of Aaj Tak's 'special investigation team' and was on an
assignment in Madhya Pradesh investigating the Vyapam scam for the past
four days.
"The cause of his sudden demise is not yet clear," it
said adding "We hope that doctors and law enforcement agencies are able
to establish the cause of Akshay's death."