Two armed men intercepted Moisés near his home and killed him with machetes.
A 29-year-old reporter working for the Tamilan TV channel, which reported on the government’s illegal sale of poramboke land and the sale of marijuana in Tamil Nadu’s Kundrathur, was beaten to death on Sunday night. Kundrathur is a suburb on the outskirts of Chennai and belongs to the Kancheepuram district, and Moses, who lived in the Puthu Nellore village area, focused on local problems. A duo intercepted Moses, already facing death threats, and attacked him with sickles, leaving him dead in a pool of blood. Following this, Somangalam police arrested four people from a gang involved in the illegal sale of land and the sale of marijuana in connection with the death.
Moses used to expose the covert operations of antisocial elements in the region through the Sirappu Paarvai (special focus) program on the Tamilan channel. In the past week, he had reported on marijuana sales by a gang in the region and had faced threats from the group.
Sagayaraj, chief reporter for Tamilan TV and state president of the Union of Workers’ Journalists, said: “On Sunday night, a duo intercepted Moses as he was leaving his home and asked him for some directions. Soon her screams filled the air and her father immediately ran out to see what happened. A duo with sickles attacked Moses, who fled when he saw his father ”.
In the attack, Moses sustained serious head and hand injuries and was immediately taken to Chromepet Government Hospital. However, he died due to serious injuries and blood loss.
Speaking to TNM, Moses’ father, Jesudas, who is also a journalist, said: “My son always spoke about the problems that occur in the region. Previously there was a problem due to land grabbing by a gang and he went there and reported on it. “
“From then on we faced problems and last week he reported that the same gang was involved in the sale of marijuana. He soon received threats, so he went to the police station and told them about the threats, but did not submit a written complaint. That is what led to this attack, ”added Jesudas.
However, Sagayaraj said that the police should have taken action and provided protection to the journalist. He also demanded that the government should provide Rs 25 lakh as compensation and a government job to immediate relatives. He added that the Tamil Nadu government should enact a law to protect journalists.
Meanwhile, the Somangalam police have registered a complaint and are continuing to investigate the case.
In reaction to the murder of Moses, the Tamil Nadu Women Journalists Forum said: “Reporter Moses, who was covering the sale of marijuana and the invasion of land, has been shot dead in Puthu Nellore. We strongly condemn this. We call on the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, Edappadi K Palaniswami, to take swift action against the accused. The police are responsible for this murder since Moses denounced that there is a threat to his life and even so there was no action from the police department ”.
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