MP journo death: CM Shivraj orders CBI investigation

Bhopal: A day after television journalist Sandeep Sharma was run over by a speeding truck in the district headquarters town of Bhind in Madhya Pradesh, chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Tuesday decided to hand over the probe into the incident to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).

In a related development, the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) on Tuesday served a notice to the state government seeking a report on the incident within four weeks.

The chief minister’s decision to recommend a CBI probe into the incident comes in the wake of demand by Congress leader Jyotiraditya Scindia, who suspected a conspiracy in the hit-and-run case leading to horrific death of the scribe. He had done an expose of the nexus of sand mining mafia and local police in a sting operation.

“The chief minister recommended a CBI probe into the incident,” state information and public relations minister Narottam Mishra said here on Tuesday.

The journalist was knocked down by a speeding truck when he was riding a two-wheeler in Bhind town on Monday morning.

The dumper had “suddenly” veered off the middle of the road towards left and ran over him.

Police later arrested the truck driver Ranveer Singh Yadav (19).

According to the police, the driver confessed that he had no experience of driving a truck. He has no driving licence either.

The scribe had done a sting in July last year in which the then sub-divisional police officer (SDP) Indraveer Bhadoria purportedly was heard demanding a bribe to allow free passage of sand-laden trucks in the town.

The police officer was transferred after the exposure.

Soon after, the journalist had sought police protection fearing threat to his life.