Hemchandra Pandey: unanswered questions
Hemchandra Pandey died in an encounter along with Maoist leader Azad, on or around July 1. Was he on assignment as a journalist or as a Maoist sympathiser? When the police insisted he was a Maoist, Hindi newspapers quickly distanced themselves from
This excerpt from SANHATI.COM establishes his journalistic credentials, but only a thorough investigation into Hem Pandey’s death will tell us how he died.
Note from Concerned Citizens
Hem Chandra Pandey, a freelance journalist from Delhi was killed on 2 July 2010 along with Azad, spokesperson of CPI( Maoist). He comes from Dewaltal town of Pithoragarh district of Uttarakhand.
His wife Babita Pandey identified him when she saw a photograph of his dead body published in Enadu on 3 July 2010 and informed the press in a press conference held in Press Club Delhi on the same day.
Rajiv Lochan Saha a renowned intellectual from Uttarakhand and the Chief Editor of Nainatal Samachar introduced her to the press and told the press he knows Hem Chandra Pandey and Babita as journalists for a long time.
She told the press that her husband was a freelance journalist and regularly wrote to Hindi newspapers like Nai Dunia, Rastriya Sarara, Dainik Jagaran and papers. As it was not enough for the family to run with the meagre amount of money that he earns through freelancing, he also works for a paper called Chetana on corporate communications run by a company called DARCL Logistics LTD on regular basis. He was one of the sub-editors for this magazine called Chetana at the time of his death.
She also informed all those who were present there that Hem Chandra Pandey had an MA in Economics from Kumaon University, Nainaital. He also had a Diploma in Translation from Bharatiya Vidhya Bhawan in Delhi. He also did a Diploma course in Journalism. He was pursuing his Ph D course from Almora Campus of Kumaon University.
Babita showed some of his certificates and also the salary certificates of the company where he was a regular employee at the time of his killing on 2 July 2010. He took leave from his magazine office for two days when he went to Nagapur.
Copies of his salary slips for two months are attached here.
After the press conference on 3 July, some police officers challenged her version and maintained that her husband was not a journalist.
Surprisingly, by the end of the Press Conference, in a flash of the moment, Nai Dunia, Dainik Jagaran and Rastriya Sahara issued statements separately that Hem Pandey was never a contributor to their papers. But his articles exist on the internet sites of these papers.
Hem Chandra Pandey wrote all his contributions to different newspapers with the name Hemant Pandey as a freelance journalist. However he never hid his identity. He made legal certificate, affidavit that both names are his. Copies of this affidavit are available.
Copies of some of his articles are attached here with full citations made available from internet. His wife informed that he wrote frequently and all clippings are available in his house. When she returns to Delhi along with Hem’s dead body she can provide all clippings.
Click here to read some of his articles.
Please also see below a clarification from CPI (Maoist) that Hem is not their member as claimed earlier.
All the documentary evidence that exists in black and white clear establishes that he was a freelance journalist based in Delhi and a regular employee of a magazine.
Subscribe To The Newsletter