THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The family of journalist SV Pradeep has alleged that the road accident that resulted in the scribe’s death could be staged and demanded a detailed probe to unveil the “foul play”. Pradeep’s mother Vasanthakumari and sister Preeja gave statements before the Nemom police that he was being threatened on social media platforms regularly owing to his journalistic endeavours, police sources told TNIE. Pradeep was working as an online journalist after leaving mainstream media.
The family and friends said they believe that the accident could’ve been staged by those who were hurt by his work. “We, family members, at times advised him to be cautious while doing his job. Even last week, I had asked him to play it safe while broadcasting his stories. But he did not listen to me. He said he was reporting truth and nothing could deter him from carrying out his duty,” said a close relative, who wished not to be named.
The politicians too demanded a thorough probe to clear the air about the accident. Opposition leader Ramesh Chennithala urged the police to clear the doubts that have arisen over the death. “A high-level probe should be carried out to bring out the truth,” he said.
BJP state chief K Surendran said Pradeep was privy to the secrets of those in the corridors of power and asked the state police chief to launch a detailed probe by a special team. Pradeep had been caught in the eye of the storm several times due to his sensational reporting. He was the coordinator of Mangalam Channel when it did a sting on Transport Minister A K Saseendran.
KUWJ demands comprehensive probe
T’Puram: The Kerala Union of Working Journalists (KUWJ) has demanded a comprehensive investigation into the mysterious death of journalist S V Pradeep. “It’s quite mysterious that the incident, which occurred at a busy place, went unnoticed,” the KUWJ said in an official statement. Union president K P Reji and general secretary E S Subhash expressed deep condolences at the passing of S V Pradeep.