Photojournalist’s death: CM seeks report from Jalandhar MC
Tuesday, 16/05/2017
http://epaper.dailypostindia.com/Details.aspx?id=176683&boxid=58269&uid=&dat=2017-05-16
Jalandhar : Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh on Monday announced a Rs 5 lakh compensation for the bereaved family of photojournalist Tarun Kumar Shammi and directed the Principal Secretary of Local Bodies to seek a report from the Municipal Corporation (MC) in this regard.
Capt Amarinder Singh also directed the Principal Secretary to fix the responsibility of the MC authorities for their failure to maintain the road in proper condition even after spending several crore rupees on its construction and upkeep.
Shammi, a young photojournalist with a Hindi daily Dainik Bhaskar, fell in a huge pothole on the HMV College road and sustained severe head injuries on Saturday night.
He was heading home after work, when his motorcycle fell in the pothole, leading to his death on Sunday evening. The photojournalist remained on ventilator till his last breath.
Meanwhile, despite efforts by the media fraternity, the Jalandhar Commissionerate Police was yet to lodge an FIR against the MC officials including Municipal Corporation Commissioner, XEN, SE and the contractor concerned.
Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) North Navneet Singh Mahal said that an action would be taken in this regard on the demand of the bereaved family. “We held a meeting with the family, MC Commissioner, Jalandhar North MLA Bawa Henry to suitably compensate the family. Even the MC Commissioner was working to provide job to Shammi’s wife, which was the need of hour,” he said, adding that if the family would demand, an FIR would also be registered. The media fraternity was demanding an FIR under Section 304-A for causing death due to negligence.
Notably, the family also refused to conduct the cremation of the deceased, as majority of the demands of the bereaved family were not fulfilled yet. Supporting the hapless family in the hour of crisis, the journalists demanded government job for the wife of Shammi. A resident of local Gurdev Nagar, Shammi is survived by his mother, wife and two children.
