Investigation on after Indian crime reporter killed

MUMBAI — Authorities in the Indian city of Mumbai have promised a full investigation after a prominent newspaper crime reporter was killed in a drive-by shooting near his home.Jyotirmoy Dey, who wrote extensively about gangland activities in the country's financial and entertainment capital for the daily tabloid Mid-day, was gunned down in broad daylight in a northern suburb on Saturday afternoon.Four gunmen on two motorbikes shot him four times at point-blank range and sped off, police said. Dey, 56, was taken to hospital but was declared dead on arrival.Mumbai Police Arup Patnaik said the shooting, which has shocked the city's media fraternity, was a professional hit by organised crime gangs.Prithviraj Chavan, chief minister of Maharashtra state, of which Mumbai is the capital, said he was "extremely disturbed" to hear of the killing."We are taking a very serious view of this," he told reporters. "We will get to the bottom of this."(The) media plays an important role in democracy and efforts to terrorise (them) will be foiled," he added, vowing that the killers would face "stringent action"."All steps would be taken to ensure that journalists are able to perform their duty without fear."Mid-day said that Dey, who wrote as "J Dey", had reported on crime in Mumbai for the last 22 years and was the publication's investigations editor.He had previously worked for titles including the Indian Express and the Hindustan Times -- both English-language dailies -- and was the author of two books on Mumbai's underworld.Mid-day editor Sachin Kalbag wrote in the newspaper on Sunday that Dey was an honest reporter of great integrity."It is evident that Dey was a victim of his fearless journalism," he said.But he warned against speculation about the motive of the attack.Journalists in Mumbai are planning a protest march in the city on Monday, calling on the state government for greater protection, Indian television news channels reported. Copyright © 2011 AFP. All rights reserved. More »

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