'Maoist' scribe's body in Delhi

Journalist was killed alongside Naxal leader Azad during a police encounter in Andhra. Friends organise protest to dispute Maoist-tag

While question marks remain on his ideological leanings, Hem Chandra Pandey's friends want to settle the

dispute once and for all, after his death. The body of the deceased journalist was brought to Delhi from Hyderabad on Tuesday night.

"We are planning to protest against the brutality of the police and we will fight for justice. We are getting support from a lot of friends," said Babita (30), wife of the deceased.

Pandey hails from Dewaltal Village of Uttarakhand and was working as a freelance journalist in Delhi with some national newspapers. His wife even offered the body to AIIMS but the hospital administration refused to accept the body as a post mortem had been done.

Babita has denied police claims that Pandey was a Maoist and has alleged that police killed him in a staged shootout after arresting him along with Azad in Nagpur. She has demanded a thorough probe into the killing. She met Andhra Pradesh Home Minister P. Sabita Indra Reddy, who ordered a probe into Pandey's identity.

A statement purportedly sent by the outlawed Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist) to some newspapers Sunday identified Pandey as a Maoist. However, a Naxal leader has clarified that no such statement was issued.
CPI-Maoist politburo member and spokesman Azad and Pandey were killed in the forests of Adilabad district bordering Maharashtra.
Police said they were killed in a three-hour long gunfight.

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