Journalists Killed in 2012 - Motive Confirmed: Rajesh Mishra

Media Raj
March 1, 2012, in Rewa, India

Two assailants hit Mishra on the head with an iron rod while he was at a public tea stall in Rewa town in the central state of Madhya Pradesh, according to local news reports. The journalist died at a local hospital, the reports said.

Mishra, a journalist for the local Hindi-language weekly Media Raj, had written articles on alleged financial irregularities in local schools, according to the news reports. The reports cited the journalist's family members as saying that he had been threatened during the week leading up to the attack.

Police arrested at least four men for carrying out the murder, including Rajneesh Banerjee, who owned the schools Mishra was covering and a rival Hindi-language weekly, Vindhya Bharat. Vindhya Bharat Editor Anil Tripathi and two other employees were also arrested.

Rewa Superintendent of Police Umesh Joga told the New Delhi-based media watchdog website The Hoot that Banerjee and his associates had retaliated against Mishra in connection with his reports. Vindhya Bharat and Media Raj each had a circulation of about 500 copies, The Hoot reported.