Mumbai, June 15: Four days after the murder of Mid Day journalist J Dey, police have detained three persons, believed to be members of Chhota Shakeel gang, in connection with the killing.
“Three people have been detained. We are probing their role (in the case). We want to be sure (of their involvement in the crime) before jumping to a conclusion...,” a senior crime branch official told PTI on condition of anonymity.
The three were believed to be working for fugitive gangster Shakeel, the right hand man of underworld don Dawood Ibrahim, and their antecedents were being verified, he said.
Jyotirmoy Dey (56), Editor (Special Investigation), with Mid Day, who extensively covered underworld and crime for over two decades, was shot dead in broad daylight by four motorbike-borne assailants at Powai on June 11.
Meanwhile, Chief minister Prithviraj Chavan told reporters after the cabinet meeting that there were “some developments” in the Dey murder case probe.
“There are some developments (in the Dey murder case probe). Important breakthrough is expected soon,” he said, but declined to elaborate, saying “You will be appropriately briefed (by the police).”
The chief minister said he had no idea if anybody has been arrested in connection with the incident. Chavan said a cabinet sub-committee would be set up soon for preparing the draft bill for protection of the journalists. The government, he said, hoped to table the bill in the legislative Assembly during its monsoon session.
Chavan said that there was a broad consensus in the state cabinet over enacting a special law to protect journalists from attacks, but added that there should be some arrangement for looking into complaints against scribes too.
The issue of enacting such a law has come to fore again in the wake of murder of senior journalist J Dey in the city last Saturday.
Talking to reporters after the weekly cabinet meeting, Chavan said nobody wants to stop the media from carrying out its legitimate job, but the fourth estate too should be responsible and accountable.
“...there are serious concerns about some of you in the political fraternity, just like you have apprehensions about some bureaucrats and politicians. We need to have an arrangement where complaints against journalists can be heard,” the Chief Minister said.
When pointed out that the code of conduct for journalists figures in the draft bill, Chavan said he had seen the draft, and it had no “enabling provisions”.
Chavan said a cabinet sub-committee of five to six senior ministers (the names would be announced shortly) would “go through the draft bill and suggest amendments. “We plan to introduce the final draft in the monsoon session itself,” he added.
To a question on the progress of investigation in the J Dey murder case, Chavan said substantial progress had been made. “Some people would be arrested (soon) and a main breakthrough is expected,” he said.
Police said this afternoon that they had detained three suspects in connection with Dey's murder. PTI
