A journalist with an Assamese daily has been murdered allegedly at the behest of a forest warden he had criticised in several articles. According to the Assam Tribune, Prahlad Goala, the Golaghat correspondent of the Asomiya Khabar, was brutally murdered on the night of January 6 at Thuramukh near Nambar Reserve Forest.
Goala is the first journalist to be killed anywhere in the world in 2006.
Married and the father of a 14-month-old girl, Goala was run down by a car while travelling on a motor-cycle in Golaghat district (300 km east of the state capital, Guwahati). He was then repeatedly stabbed by several men and died of head injuries.
Forest ranger KZ Zaman Jinnah was involved in the murder, the Assam Tribune reported quoting "reliable sources". Goala had published several news items against the corrupt forest officer who was involved in malpractices inside Nambar Reserve Forest. The ranger had apparently threatened Goala with dire consequences for the news published against him only a week ago.
"The murder of this young Indian reporter is a tragic reminder that it is still dangerous to practice investigative journalist in some Indian states," the Paris-based Reporters sans Frontières (RSF) said, welcoming the progress made in the police investigation and calling on the authorities to ensure that both the instigator and perpetrators are brought to justice.
According to police, the forest ranger Kaziruj Zaman Jinnah who is alleged to have been involved in the murder has been arrested. A case has been registered and further investigations are on, Golaghat Superintendent of Police Madan Chetia said.
The Golaghat District journalists Association demanded a judicial probe in a memorandum submitted to the Golaghat Deputy Commissioner. According to Rohit Gogoi, the GDJA general secretary, a large number of journalists, people from different backgrounds and a group representing the Tengani Sangram Samiti have urged the Assam government to ensure security for journalists.
Goala, 33, had taken up his assignment as correspondent for the Asamiya Khabar in August 2004. Since then, he had exposed several illegal activities involving forest officials. The conservation group Aaranyak has also strongly condemned the incident and demanded a high-level probe into the death of Goala.
