It's been a year since MiD DAY's Crime and Investigations Editor J Dey was murdered on a rain-soaked afternoon in Powai.
And it has been for 365 days that his family, friends, colleagues and the citizens of this country have demanded to know exactly why he was killed by a group of hired guns. There is still no satisfactory answer.
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The police may have arrested several people, and motives may have been attributed, but, even to the most untrained person, the evidence produced by Mumbai Police has been decidedly circumstantial. We can only hope that it stands up in court and that the right people are convicted and punished for the heinous crime.
Soon after Dey was killed, this newspaper was often asked whether it will stop its investigative bent of mind. No way. Instead, its journalists were inspired by Dey’s work to expose more and more wrongdoings — no matter who was at the heart of it: politicians, bureaucrats, policemen, NGOs.
It is this strong culture of investigative journalism that this newspaper pledges to continue, regardless of the odds against us. Any respite or pullback of this crusade would mean that Dey’s killers would have won the day. It would also be an insult to Dey and his legacy.
For, though Dey was passionate about crime reporting, it was his beloved city Mumbai that was at the middle of his investigative journalism. Without his muse, he would possibly have not pursued his passion with such diligence, with such alacrity. On his first death anniversary, there could be no greater tribute to the man than the pledge that this newspaper will not hold back. At anything.
Sachin Kalbag
Executive Editor