An ABP Ganga News journalist died mysteriously in Uttar Pradesh’s Pratapgarh district while returning back on motorcycle on Sunday night.
Sulabh Srivastava, written a letter to a senior police officer a day before his death, wanted police protection saying his life is in danger and felt threatened following his recent reportage of liquor mafias in the district. He got serious head injuries after his bike met with an accident in the Katra area. The incident happened at 9:30 PM on 13 June.
“Mr Shrivastava was returning on his motorcycle after media coverage, at around 11 pm at night on Sunday. He fell from his motorcycle near a brick kiln. Some labourers lifted him from the road and then used his phone to call his friends, and they called an ambulance too. He was taken to the district hospital where the doctors declared him dead,” Surendra Dwivedi, a senior police official in Pratapgarh, said in a statement.
“Initial investigations have revealed he was alone on his bike and fell after his bike collided with a handpump by the road. We are investigating other angles too,” Mr Dwivedi said in the statement.
The mysterious death of a correspondent has been slammed by the opposition Congress, with Priyanka Gandhi Vadra. She tweeted “The liquor mafia has killed from Aligarh to Pratapgarh but the UP government is silent. Journalists are asking dangerous questions to expose the truth. The government is asleep.”
CM Mamata Banerjee also tweeted to express her shock. “Shocked at the demise of ABP journalist Sulabh Srivastava in Uttar Pradesh. Sad to see that despite “democracy & freedom” being a part of our ethos, we are unable to save lives who are working tirelessly towards unfolding the truth,” Ms Banerjee tweeted.
Sulabh’s letter to the ADG raises suspicions over his death.
