After appealing for funds for his cancer treatment, journalist Pawan Jaiswal passes away

Freelance journalist Pawan Jaiswal has died, less than a month after he had publicly appealed to Uttar Pradesh politicians to help him pay for his cancer treatment.

Jaiswal was well-known for his work; in 2019, he had reported on how a government school in Uttar Pradesh’s Mirzapur had fed students roti with salt as part of the mid day meal. The Uttar Pradesh government had filed an FIR against him, accusing him of “conspiracy”.

The Editors Guild of India had condemned the state government, calling the FIR a “cruel and classic case of shooting the messenger”. Jaiswal was later given a clean chit in the case.

Multiple journalists mourned Jaiswal’s death on social media.