Conspiracy to kill Bukhari was hatched in Pakistan: Police
Srinagar, June 28: The Jammu and Kashmir Police said on Thursday that the conspiracy to kill noted Kashmiri journalist Shujaat Bukhari was hatched in Pakistan and that the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) carried out the crime.
Inspector General of Police S.P. Pani told the media: "This terror crime was done by LeT and the conspiracy was hatched in Pakistan."
Giving details, the police chief of the Kashmir Valley said: "Investigation has established that there was a campaign in certain social media platform against Shujaat Bukhari spreading hate campaign, malicious and intimidating...
"With the cooperation of service providers, tangible evidence has been collected that the individual behind the hate campaign belongs to LeT terrorist organization and all the content on social media was posted from Pakistan."
Pani said the person associated with publishing malicious articles against Bukhari was a Sheikh Sajad Gul alias Ahmad Khalid of Srinagar who is associated with the LeT and presently in Pakistan.
Police had issued pictures of three bike-borne individuals fleeing from the crime scene after gunning down Bukhari, editor of "Rising Kashmir" English daily, on June 14.
The identity of the accused was given as Muzaffar Ahmad alias Talha of Qazigund, who has been active since January 2018, Naveed Jatt alias Hanzullah of Pakistan-administered Kashmir, who had escaped from judicial custody, and Azad Ahmad Malik alias Dada of Bijbehara, who has been active since December 2016.
Bukhari was killed along with two of his security guards in Press Enclave area of Srinagar city.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Actor Rahul's death: Film body demands fair probe, files police complaint
Kolkata (PTI): Amidst the controversy over the accidental death of actor Rahul Arunoday Banerjee during an outdoor shoot near Digha in Purba Medinipur district, the West Bengal Motion Picture Artists' Forum on Saturday lodged a police complaint against the producers in connection with the incident.
Senior forum members, including actors Prosenjit Chatterjee and Santilal Mukherjee, told a press meet outside Regent Park police station that the complaint called for a fair and transparent probe into the tragedy.
"We want the real truth and exact circumstances behind the incident to come to light," a forum member said. Actor Rituparna Sengupta was also present at the briefing.
Banerjee's wife, Priyanka Sarkar, was also present but did not speak to the media.
"On March 29, during the shooting of television serial 'Bholey Baba Par Karega' at Talsari near Digha, our colleague and forum member, actor Rahul Arunoday Banerjee, tragically passed away due to an accidental drowning," the forum said in a statement on Friday night.
"In this regard, the forum, on behalf of its members, sought legal advice to ascertain the exact circumstances surrounding the incident. Accordingly, a formal letter was sent to the production house.... on April 1 seeking clarification," the statement said.
"However, the response received on April 2 was found to be unsatisfactory and inadequate. Since then, various opinions and concerns have also been expressed on social media regarding the incident," the forum said.
Mukherjee said in light of this, and after further legal consultation, the forum has decided to initiate legal proceedings.
Chatterjee said the forum would consult lawyers to decide the next course of action.
Meanwhile, several members of the Bengali film industry held a procession from Technicians' Studio to Radha Studio, a distance of around 1 km, carrying placards reading 'Justice for Rahul'.
The rally was led by several known faces of the industry, including actor-director Aparna Sen, Anjan Dutt, director Srijit Mukherjee, Kaushik Ganguly, actor-director Parambrata Chatterjee, actor Rudranil Ghosh, actor Riddhi Sen, actor-theatre personality Kaushik Sen, among others.
The rally was supported by technician federation director Swarup Biswas.
Earlier, the makers of 'Bholey Baba Par Karega' had expressed grief over Banerjee’s death and assured that the circumstances surrounding the incident would be examined transparently.
"The entire cast and crew are in profound mourning. We request a few days to gather accounts of those present so that a comprehensive and accurate report can be presented," the producers had said, adding that a representative nominated by the actor’s family or the forum could observe the process.
Police officials said according to eyewitness accounts, Banerjee and a co-actor were filming a dance sequence in knee-deep water when they slipped into an underwater ditch. Both were taken to a hospital in Digha, but Banerjee could not be saved.
Banerjee rose to fame with the 2008 Bengali film 'Chirodini Tumi Je Amar', directed by Raj Chakraborty, which starred him opposite Priyanka Sarkar and became a major hit.
Rahul, who had started his career in early 2000, acted in several critically acclaimed Bengali films and TV soaps after the blockbuster success of Chirodini in 2008 and also started hosting a podcast which gained popularity.
