Scribe probing illegal sand mining killed near police station in MP’s Bhind

Journalist Sandeep Sharma, probing illegal sand mining in Madhya Pradesh’s Bhind, was killed on Monday morning near the Kotwali police station, The Times of India reported, adding that the scribe was run over by a dumper truck under mysterious circumstances.

The 35-year-old was working with a national news channel and had filed a complaint with the police citing threat to his life from a police officer after a “sting operation”, the report said.

Bhind Press club president Sathyanarayan Sharma was quoted as saying that Sharma’s death was highly suspicious and should be probed, while district SP Prashant Khare assured the worried local media that the matter would be thoroughly investigated.

“He was a brave journalist and had filed stories against mining mafias. He was facing threat from a police officer whom he had exposed a few months ago and had submitted a complaint to the SP citing threat to his life. The fact that the dumper was empty gives rise to suspicion,” Sathyanarayan Sharma reportedly said.