Ex-minister RPN Singh demands judicial probe in Barabanki woman burning case

Barabanki: Former Union minister of state for home affairs RPN Singh on Tuesday demanded an independent judicial probe of a woman who was burnt alive by two policemen in Uttar Pradesh's Barabanki District.

R P N Singh said "It's a sad news that a journalist's mother was set ablaze in a police station. This is a second incident taking place in Uttar Pradesh and similar cases have been seen in Madhya Pradesh also. Journalists are being always subjected to risking their lives by the police or politicians, as they work constantly to dig out the truth. They are being killed in a brutal manner, and this is a serious issue for the democracy".

"I had proposed previously also that in case of a journalist or his family dying, there should be independent judicial probes of such cases" he added.

The victim was set ablaze in a police station for allegedly refusing to pay a bribe, According to reports, her husband was held in the same police station for questioning and when she went and asked the policemen to release him, they demanded a bribe. When she refused and there was a heated argument, the cops set her ablaze.