Garhwal Post Bureau
Dehradun, 17 Dec: A case has been registered at Rajpur police station in connection with the death of Pankaj Mishra, an independent journalist based in the state capital, who succumbed to injuries after being allegedly assaulted at his residence on Monday night, according to the police. It may be recalled that following Mishra’s death, Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami and DG, Information, Banshidhar Tiwari had yesterday expressed grief and shock at his passing away.
However, by late last evening, it emerged that the family of Pankaj was not happy with the postmortem report and alleged murder. Following this, on Pankaj’s brother Arvind Mishra’s complaint, the Police registered an FIR, according to which a group of men forcibly entered Mishra’s house around 10 p.m. and attacked him with intention to kill. One Amit Sehgal, also stated to be a journalist, has been accused in the complaint.
SSP Ajai Singh said the incident occurred in the Rajpur area when the accused, along with his associates, barged into Mishra’s house following a dispute between the two that had reportedly intensified after exchanges on social media. He added that both the victim and the accused are known to each other. The matter escalated over online posts and subsequently took a violent turn. It is also being stated by friends of Mishra that he was forced to delete some social media posts by the accused and his associates and he did so, but the matter did not end there.
As per the complaint, the accused allegedly abused Mishra and assaulted him by repeatedly kicking and punching him, particularly on the chest and stomach. The complainant claimed that Mishra began bleeding from his mouth during the assault and that one of the attackers allegedly exhorted the others to target vital organs, stating that the victim was already suffering from heart and liver ailments.
The attackers have also been accused of taking away mobile phones belonging to Mishra and his wife. Mishra later contacted the police, who reached the spot and advised a medical examination and submission of a written complaint. However, owing to his condition and fear, Mishra reportedly said he would approach the police the following morning. However, by early morning yesterday, Mishra’s health deteriorated sharply. According to the complaint, he collapsed unconscious at around 3 a.m. and was rushed to Doon Hospital by ambulance, where doctors declared him dead on arrival.
The SSP said the exact cause of death could not be ascertained from the initial post-mortem examination.
At the family’s request, a second post-mortem has been sought. The Police are awaiting the report and will record statements of all concerned before proceeding further. He also confirmed that the accused have not yet been arrested.
The FIR has been registered under Sections 103 (murder), 304 (snatching), 333 (house-trespass after preparation for causing hurt, assault or wrongful restraint) and 352 (intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of peace) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. While most mainstream newspapers have not reported the entire details of the case, some social media posts did mention the name of the accused. Meanwhile, sources in the Police have claimed that further outcome in the case would largely depend on the second postmortem report whether the death was caused as a result of assault or not.
Sources close to Mishra’s family shared that due to second postmortem, the cremation of the mortal remains of Mishra has been delayed and was finally held this evening at Nalapani Chowk crematorium.
