Mumbai:
Forty eight hours after he was shot - on a crowded street in Mumbai - the city police has released a sketch of one of the four men who opened fire at J Dey, a journalist, known for his investigative reports on the underworld. Based on accounts from eyewitnesses, the sketch reveals a man about five-and-a-half-feet tall who was wearing a blue raincoat. The police believes he is in his early 20s.
Mr Dey was riding his motorcycle in Mumbai's Powai suburb when four men on two motorcycles pulled up. They shot five bullets at him. He was taken to a local hospital where he was declared dead upon arrival.
The Maharashtra government has said that most likely, Mr Dey was killed in retaliation for recent stories, some of which focused on the oil mafia.
Journalists today marched to the Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan's office, demanding a CBI inquiry into Mr Dey's murder. He did not agree. ''Since yesterday, there has been progress in the case,'' he said.
Journalists say an investigation by the local police may not be reliable because Mr Dey often exposed the nexus between cops and the underworld. That's not an invalid concern. Police sources confirm that Assistant Commissioner of Police Anil Mahabole will be interrogated about Mr Dey's death -the journalist had alleged that Mr Mahabole is linked to the D-Company which is the gang operated by Dawood Ibrahim. Mr Mahabole has been transferred from his current position as ACP, Mumbai - Zone 1.
20 people who allegedly work for the oil mafia or the D-Company have already been questioned.
If the CBI is not brought in, journalists warn, they will begin a relay hunger strike on June 15 along with challenging the government in the Bombay High Court.