People know who killed my son, says father of scribe slain in Bihar

Patna, May 15 (IANS) Father of murdered journalist Rajdeo Ranjan on Sunday said people in Siwan district fully understand who conspired to kill his son and that only a CBI investigation of the case will have any credibility.

"In Siwan most of the people understand the motive behind this killing and know it fully who conspired to carry it out," Radhakrishna Choudhary said.

"We have no faith and confidence in local police and state administration. We want a CBI probe into the killing of my son," Choudhary, a marginal farmer, said.

Rajdeo Ranjan, the Siwan bureau chief of the Hindi newspaper, which is part of the HT Media, was shot dead on Friday at a busy market near the Station Road in the district.

Until Sunday morning, the police announced no breakthrough in the case even as the political opposition National Democratic Alliance (NDA) called the murder another proof of the "return of jungle raj" in Bihar.

Siwan Superintendent of Police Saurav Kumar Sah said that initially four suspects had been detained in connection with the killing, but later two were released after questioning.

Choudhary said only a probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) into the case can provide justice to his family, including wife and two minor children of his son.

Earlier, senior BJP leader and former Bihar deputy chief minister Sushil Modi had also demanded a CBI probe into the killing of the journalist.

The Press Council of India (PCI) on Saturday set up a three-member fact finding committee to inquire into the murder of Rajdeo Ranjan.

Mediapersons in Bihar and elsewhere have been registering their protests against the killing.

The murder comes close on the heels of the killing of teenager Aditya Sachdeva allegedly by Rocky Yadav, the son of a ruling Janata Dal-United (JD-U) lawmaker in Gaya district.

The leaders and workers of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which leads the NDA, have been staging demonstrations across the state on Sunday to highlight the deteriorating law and order situation.

Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) chief Lalu Prasad have condemned the killing and directed the police to take prompt action in nabbing the culprits.

The ruling alliance in Bihar consists of the JD-U, the RJD and the Congress.