Wednesday, August 17, 2011

Media Ignores A Murder: Who Killed RTI Activist Shehla Masood?

The news of social activist Shehla Masood's brutal murder didn't get adequate attention on national media due to the excessive coverage given to Anna Hazare.

It is even more ironical that she was supporting Anna Hazare and had left her house to organise a protest and signature campaign in support of the issues Anna stands for. 

While Facebook and Twitter remained abuzz, mainstream media didn't give her adequate attention. Media reports about her death clearly suggest that she was murdered by professional killer.

Did any corrupt bureaucrat got the murder executed through a contract killer? We don't know. What we know is that she had revealed major corruption scandals in a state where IAS officers have been caught for amassing hundreds of crores.

She had exposed forest mafia and bureaucratic corruption, she was fighting land mafia, illegal diamond mining and also corrupt police officers. Shehla Masood had filed numerous RTI applications against politicians also and this was the reason she might have been killed.

Almost three years ago she had made serious allegations against IPS officer Pawan Srivastava who was then posted as Director Culture. Her charges were serious. She had even given a CD to the DGP to prove her allegations.

In the letter to DGP she wrote that Srivastava was harassing her, threatening her on phone and also making unreasonable demands. This complaint against Pawan Srivastava was not too seriously taken. IG Shailendra Srivastava investigated it and nobody came to know what came out.

IANS reports that Shehla had again complained to DGP SK Rout last year. It is a different matter that such accusations can't be taken on face value. But do police investigate the complaints seriously. Shehla had filed RTI applications against 17 IAS officers, 13 IFS officers and 7 IPS officers.

Wasn't she becoming a threat to corrupt Madhya Pradesh bureaucracy? Whether moneyed contractors or land mafia were involved in this incident or someone else, it is a question that haunts every one. High level inquiry must be undertaken to solve the case.


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