Secretary, Mumbai Press Club
A little over 5 year ago, on 11 June 2011, senior crime
reporter and a fearless investigator, Jyotirmoy Dey, was gunned down amidst a
hail of bullets in Hiranandani Gardens, Powai. Everyone knew him as J Dey. A
man of few words, he was liked by all.
As Mid-day’s Editor-Investigations, he
was snatched away cruelly at the prime of his career.
J Dey’s killing united us all and the Mumbai Press Club
led a campaign to get justice for Dey. The morchas and outpouring put the then
Pritviraj Chavan government on the back foot, and the police scrambled to
arrest suspects and find motives for the murder. A dubious police officer who had
tried to hide the trail was suspended, some sharp-shooters who executed the
assassination were caught; and the police tried to create red herring trail by
planting stories against J Dey to divert attention from the main trail.
The Mumbai Press Club fought long and hard to have the
case transferred to the C.B.I. and went up to the Supreme Court. But to no
avail. The Mumbai Police wouldn’t let go. They named gangster Chota Rajan as
the man who coordinated the killing, and blamed and arrested journalist Jigna
Vohra as the main culprit who had ‘instigated’ Chota Rajan on account of
‘professional rivalry’. Ultimately, Jigna Vohra, arrested under the dreaded
MCOC Act, was released on bail for lack of evidence 8-9 months later; and the investigation
did not go beyond Chota Rajan.
Ironically, the gangster was arrested a little over a
year ago, and all cases where he was involved have now been transferred to the
C.B.I. – something we had demanded 5 years ago. Nailing down crucial details of
J Dey’s killing – who was behind the trigger and what was the motive – is still
wide open.
Unfortunately, we have short memories, and for most of us
J Dey is dead and buried. However, the Mumbai Press Club continued its ‘Justice
for J Dey’ campaign. To mark his contribution to journalism and to his brand of
fearless crime reporting, the Club has been successful in convincing the
Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) to name the Powai Garden’s D-Mart
Chowk as ‘J Dey Chowk’.
The inauguration of the J Dey Chowk is a very important
event for us journalists. It not only is a mark to the memory of the fighter J
Dey; it is also a reminder that the case is not closed and the investigation
and perhaps arrest of some of the main killers is still on the agenda.
The chowk is also a remembrance for nearly a dozen
journalists who have died in the line of duty in recent months in what is seen
as amongst the worst periods of media freedom for this country.
