Prahlad Goala, a reporter who recently wrote about
illegal forestry operations in the northeastern Indian state of Assam, became the first journalist murdered this year, reported the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ), Reporters Without
Borders (Reporters sans fronti?res, RSF) and the Committee to Protect
Journalists (CPJ). Goala, 32, was riding a motorcycle near his home in Golaghat when he
was reportedly hit by a truck, according to IFJ and RSF. When police
arrived at the scene, they found that Goala had also been beaten and
stabbed several times. Two suspects are currently being held for questioning.
A third, by the name of Zamman Jinnah, was arrested and later released on bail. According to the "Assam Tribune", Jinnah, a forest ranger, had issued death threats against Goala soon after articles appeared in the newspaper "Asomiya Khabar" linking Jinnah with illegal tree cutting in a local nature reserve.
CPJ is continuing to investigate the case to determine whether Goala
was murdered because of his work as a journalist.