Geneva, October 1: Press Emblem Campaign (PEC), the global media safety and rights body, expresses concern over the mysterious death of an Indian scribe based in Uttarakhand and demanded a fair probe into the circumstance that led to the untimely demise of Rajeev Pratap Singh. The body of Rajeev (36) was recovered from Joshiyara hydroelectric barrage on Bhagirathi river in the north Indian State on Sunday, 28 September, whereas he went missing on 18 September. Initial reports say, Rajeev was riding his car and fell into the river. An alumnus of Indian Institute of Mass Communication in New Delhi, Rajeev used to run a digital platform named ‘Delhi Uttarakhand Live’ covering primarily local issues.
“We demand an authentic probe to identify the probable culprits involved with the incident that caused the death of Rajeev Pratap Singh and punish them under the law. Uttarakhand chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami should take personal interest in the case, as the scribe reportedly received multiple threats from various sources for his reports,” said Blaise Lempen, president of PEC (https://www.pressemblem.ch/pec-news).
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Earlier, the PEC insisted on an impartial probe into the violence perpetuated against media persons in Nepal during a recent unrest (on 8 and 9 September) and urged the interim government in Kathmandu (led by Sushila Karki) to adequately compensate the affected scribes and media organizations during the turmoil that resulted in the killing of over 70 people, including 55 protesting youths, and injuries to over 1500 individuals. The miscreants targeted mainstream media groups like Kantipur Media Group and Annapurna Media Network. Moreover, five journalists namely Shyam Shrestha, Dipendra Dhungana, Umesh Karki, Barsha Shaha and Shambhu Dangal were injured while reporting from the ground.
PEC’s south and southeast Asia representative Nava Thakuria informed that globally 136 media workers have been killed so far this year. Nepal witnessed the killing of journalists namely Suresh Rajak during a pro-monarchy agitation in Kathmandu a few months back. India has lost Mukesh Chandrakar, Raghavendra Vajpayee, Sahadev Dey, Dharmendra Singh Chauhan and Chintakayalu Naresh Kumar to assailants since 1 January 2025. At least four journalists namely Md Asaduzzaman Tuhin, Bibhuranjan Sarkar, Anwar Hossain and Khandaker Shah Alam were killed in Bangladesh.
(Nava Thakuria is a senior Indian journalist who contributes to various media outlets including print and digital platforms of India and across the world.)