The sudden and mysterious death of journalist Akshay Singh, while investigating one of the biggest recruitment scams in India over the past decade, has been deemed suspicious as it cannot be isolated from other deaths connected to the scam.
This statement was originally published on ifj.org on 6 July 2015.
The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) joins its affiliate the National Union of Journalists – India (NUJI) in expressing concerns for the recent death of a television journalist while on assignment on Sunday, July 5, 2015. The IFJ and NUJI call for an immediate investigation into the suspicious death of the journalist.
Akshay Singh, a special correspondent of Aaj Tak, a Hindi news channel of TV Today Group, was interviewing the family of a medical student in Meghnagar, Madhya Pradesh, who died under mysterious circumstances in 2012, when he fell unconscious and died.
Singh was interviewing the family as part of an investigation of the Vyapam Scam, one of the biggest recruitment scams in India over the past decade. The Vyapam Scam, which has seen over with 2,000 arrests and 45 dozens mysterious deaths, involved the bribing of government officials and politicians associated with the Madhya Pradesh Professional Examination Board (MPPEB). The MPPEB or Vyapam in India is responsible for entrance examinations for government jobs and education institutions.
Prasanna Mohanty, the Secretary General of NUJI, said in a statement: “The NUJ demands immediate judicial enquiry of the incident to reveal the truth about the mysterious death.”
The NUJI has also reiterated its demands to enact Journalist Protection Act in the wake of an increased number of attacks against journalists.
Meanwhile, the Delhi Union of Journalists (DUJ) also demanded an investigation into Singh’s death saying that his sudden death cannot be isolated from other deaths of witnesses, accused and others connected to the scam.
The DUJ said: “The TV Today Group should provide adequate compensation for Singh’s mother and sister, who are dependent on his earnings.”
The IFJ, the NUJI and the DUJ express condolence to Singh’s family and colleagues.
