He said he will kill me after elections: Journo on being threatened by UP minister

Kushinagar, (Uttar Pradesh), [India], Feb. 12 : After being threatened to be burned alive by Uttar Pradesh minister Radhey Shyam Singh, Manoj Giri, a journalist on Sunday confessed he is still scared for his life, as the Samajwadi Party MLA had assured to end his life after the Assembly Elections in the state.

"I am still in fear and I have seen such acts before also, be it Shahjanpur case where journalists were burnt alive by those who were in power," Giri told ANI.

He added that a journalist in Bihar was murdered because of the state government's ignorance saying this is encouraging all those in power to bully the journalists.

"On Friday I was working in my office and around 2 p.m. Radhey Shyam called me on my mobile phone and started threatening me. He said that as soon as the elections will get over he will kill me," Giri said. "No action is being taken into consideration. There is no spirit of rising against these acts. This has to stop," he added. Giri had filed a complaint against Singh, who had allegedly threatened the former of burning alive. The MLA who is contesting elections from Kushinagar's Hata Tehsil, has been accused of threatening to set Giri ablaze for not supporting him during the ongoing state Assembly Elections.

In the past too, the minister has been accused of abusing and threatening local government officials over phone.

Kushinagar goes to polls on March 4 in the penultimate phase of the seven-phase Assembly elections ending on March 8.

Source: ANI