Rameshwar Prasad Keshri’s body was found hanging from a ceiling hook on May 16 in one of the rooms of the public health centre at Vishrampur in Palamu. (Representational)
Five persons, including two women, have been booked on charges of murder and criminal conspiracy in connection with the mysterious death of a freelance journalist and a Block-Level Trainer for health assistants in Palamu. Rameshwar Prasad Keshri’s body was found hanging from a ceiling hook on May 16 in one of the rooms of the public health centre at Vishrampur in Palamu.
Police have ruled out the incident being a consequence of the victim’s work as a journalist. Police officers said that prima facie it does not appear to be a case of suicide, but added that they would proceed on the basis of the detailed post-mortem report, which is yet to come.
The FIR has been registered on a complaint filed by the victim’s wife Sangita Devi. In her complaint, she has named a woman health assistant, her husband, his father and mother, and another man. All of them are residents of the same village as the victim.
The victim’s wife has alleged that Keshri was having an affair with the health assistant for the past six years and would not look after her and their three children. She has stated in her complaint that she suspects involvement of the woman and her relatives, besides another man, with whom her husband had a dispute, in the incident.
DIG (Palamu) Vipul Shukla said: “FIR has been registered as per the complaint. We are investigating. The incident is certainly not related to any journalistic activities of the victim. We are waiting for the final post-mortem report.”
Palamu SP Indrajeet Mahtha has constituted a special team led by DSP (Headquarters) Surjit Singh and other officer to probe the case.