Kantipur and Kathmandu Post editors and publisher threatened
For the Record: Today’s Kathmandu Post and Kantipur, Nepal’s largest English and Nepali language daily newspapers, have reported, on their front pages, that their editors and publisher have received telephone and email threats from unidentified persons to stop newspapers’ coverage on Jamim Shah murder. Two unidentified gunmen had killed Shah, a controversial media personality, at Lazimpat in the Capital on Sunday (7 Feb) afternoon.
Here’s what The Post writes:
The chairman and editors of The Kathmandu Post and Kantipur received threats from unidentified sources to stop the newspapers’ coverage on the killing of media entrepreneur Jamim Shah. Shah was killed on Sunday afternoon by unidentified gunmen here in Lazimpat.
Chairman and Managing Director of Kantipur Publications Kailash Sirohiya received an email on Friday (yesterday) to that effect. Editors of the Post and Kantipur, Akhilesh Upadhyay and Sudheer Sharma received threats over telephone on Thursday and Friday.
“Stop immediately the kind of news coverage you have been giving to Jamim’s killing, or else you will face serious consequences within 15 days,” said a caller to Sharma. The caller used both English and Hindi. Upadhyay was asked to “shut up or we will make you shut up”.
The email sent to Sirohiya asks him to stop the coverage on Shah or face consequences within 15 days.
Pakistani newspaper Daily Mail too reports that its editor got threats from an unidentified caller. It writes: “Unidentified callers call DM offices to threaten Editor-in-Chief to stop publishing reports against India & RAW or to get ready to face Jamim Shah like fate”
FJN Condemns
The Federation of Nepali Journalists (FNJ) today strongly denounced the threats issued to the chairman of the Kantipur Publications and the editors of The Kathmandu Post and Kantipur. Issuing a statement, the FNJ central committee said the threats given to them over the issue of covering news on slain media entrepreneur Jamin Shah has drawn the media body’s serious attention.
“It is serious security lapse on the part of government’s security agency. It has been a week but the government has failed to bring the assassins to book,” said the statement. FNJ charged the government of not taking Shah’s murder seriously. Demanding that the government take immediate steps to ensure security to mediapersons and take action against those who issued the threats, FNJ urged journalists to work responsibly.
Similarly, Freedom Forum, a media watchdog, said it was alarmed by the threats issued to chairman and editors of Kantipur. It has urged the government to investigate into the incident at the earliest. The Forum has also asked the government to ensure security to media sector.
Other updates on Jamim Shah Murder case:
CPJ urges Nepal to find Shah’s killers
FEB 12 – The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) has expressed solidarity with the Federation of Nepali Journalists (FNJ) in demanding an end to impunity in relation to the attacks on media entrepreneur Jamim Shah and other journalists in Nepal.In a statement on Wednesday, CPJ said the police should immediately find Shah’s killers and unmask the hidden intent behind the killing.
CPJ is a New York-based, independent non-profit organisation that works to safeguard press freedom worldwide.
Shah, chairman of the Nepalese television station and satellite network Space Time Network, was killed on Sunday afternoon by two masked gunmen on a motorcycle in Lazimpat, Kathmandu.
“Police should act quickly to find Shah’s killers and determine their motives,” said Bob Dietz , CPJ’s Asia programme coordinator. “The government has yet to make good on the assurances it made when it came to power that killers of journalists would not receive political protection.”
Nepal ranked eighth on CPJ’s Global Impunity Index, with the murder of at least five journalists unsolved.
Jamim Shah was ‘alerted’ a month ago
FEB 10 – Media entrepreneur Jamim Shah was alerted nearly a month before he was killed on Sunday, if investigators are to be believed. The police on Tuesday told the Post that someone had alerted Shah to be “vigilant”.
The revelation came in the last two days as investigators talked to people close to Shah. Police, however, believe that Shah never shared this information with his family members. During the last one month, Shah seemed to be “under stress and was wary when it came to meeting people.”
“The murder could perhaps have been averted if Shah had shared his uneasiness with the police,” said a police officer investigating the case.
Investigators said they traced “corroborative evidences” that indicated the movement of the mastermind—Babloo Singh—in Kathmandu in the last six months. But the mastermind has remained out of contact since Saturday, a day before the murder. Police, however, believe that all the culprits are still in the Capital.
Investigators say the killers had prepared for a month. “They collected detailed information of Shah’s movement before killing him in broad daylight on Sunday,” said a police officer.
Superintendent of Police Ganesh K. C., Chief of Metropolitan Police Range, claimed the killers had been identified. “We have sufficient evidences to substantiate our claim,” said K. C.
On Monday night, police carried out a massive search operation in Lazimpat, Ranibari and Lainchaur areas—a suspected hideout—but could not make any breakthrough.
On Monday, a man who identified himself as Bharat Nepali owned up responsibility for the murder. Bharat, who is said to be a former aide of underworld don Chhota Rajan, told Avenues TV that he had executed the plan. But police have not confirmed Nepali as the main culprit.
Meanwhile, police on Tuesday morning found the motorcycle the killers had used at Futung VDC, near Balaju in Kathmandu. The motorcycle was abandoned on a
slope.
Meanwhile, four police personnel deputed at the Lazimpat police booth at the time of the killing, have been suspended for “the security lapse.” Assistant Sub-Inspector Lokendra Pandit, Head Constable Tul Bahadur Adhikari, and Constables Duryodhan Yadav and Anil Rai were all in a police post around 150 metres away from the place where the gruesome killing took place.
The Federation of Nepalese Journalists (FNJ) staged a demonstration in the Capital on Tuesday to protest Shah’s murder and demanded that the government bring the guilty to book immediately. (source)
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Comments
3 responses to “Jamim Shah Murder Coverage Invites Threat to Nepali Newspapers”
This is a very serious issue that our Nepalese Media -who are raising voice for the people are being threatened. However, we Nepalese are not coward people who will bow down with such threatening. WE will do what we think is the right think to do, i.e. raise our voice to protect our people.
Realising the circumstances on how once media tycoon Jamim Shah was killed, almost within the security confines of the Indian Embassy, even a layman will not believe that underworld gang – Bharat Nepali had killed him. Why should he kill him? There is no logic at all. Avenues TV had been clearly hoodwinked by the Indian Govt. agent RAW through a fake phone call. You go and check every Indian News media now -The Times of India, Hindu, Statesman, whatever- they are linking Jamim Shah with Dawood Ibrahim and ISI. And Indian Govt. was after Jamim Shah since a long time without any clear link or evidence/proof. It is now clear that RAW agent had killed Jamim Shah taking advantage of the ill-equipped security mechanisms prevailing in Nepal. The manner of killing was too brutal and lethal. The Indian Embassy may also be clandestinely involved in this plot. This is clearly a top secret mission of the Indian Govt. The Killers (Indian RAW Agents) might have already left Kathmandu through diplomatic vehicle provided by the Indian Embassy within a few hours through the Indian Airlines flight at around 4.30 pm. The chances of this happening is very very high, since this is the most safest and quickest exit from Nepal. And remember – Diplomatic vehicles and belongs are exempted from checking in all International airports. So even if the RAW agents are carrying automatic machine guns and pistols nobody has the authority to check them. Instead the Indian Govt. should have taken a diplomatic channel with clear evidence that Mr. Shah was connected with underworld and is working against India. But Indian Govt. don’t have any evidence to prove this fact. They only suspected him through false rumour so they removed him showing barbarism. So, today, a true Nepali nationalist has been brutally killed in our own soil most likely by an Indian RAW agent or his employed hitman in broad daylight. I am not an anti-Indian, instead I love the Indian people, their culture and hospitality, but I hate the way, Indian Govt. is disparaging Nepal and intervening within our territory. See the border encroachment problem still prevailing. Action speaks louder than words. Too bad. Beware, Nepali Police Personnel and Security Intelligence-This is a big Challenge for all of you! Also Beware Avenues TV crew members- We Nepalese trust that you people are not so gullible enough to believe in this cooked-up story by the Indian RAW agents. On what basis and evidence you believe that the underworld gang Bharat Nepali men has called in your Office Phone and took ownership of the killing? This is done just to divert the attention of the media and the public and disguise the killing to take a different turn. Just do more research and try to dig out the truth.
yeah looks like coocked up we face a common problem which is maoist which is terrorist.
But it is also half true…
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