Burnt Body of Journalist, RTI Activist Found Ditched by Roadside in Bihar’s Madhubani: Report

The deceased, Buddhinath Jha, was last seen around 10 pm on Tuesday - on a CCTV installed near his home near Lohia Chowk in Benipatti.

Patna: The burnt body of a 22-year-old journalist and RTI activist, allegedly kidnapped four days ago, was found on Friday evening by the roadside near a village in Bihar’s Madhubani district, reported NDTV. Buddhinath Jha, alias Avinash Jha, was working with a local news portal. He disappeared two days after uploading a Facebook post wherein he named medical clinics that he claimed were “fake”. His work had reportedly led to the closure of some such clinics and massive fines for others.

Buddhinath, during his course of reporting, is said to have received numerous threats and bribe offers, but he didn’t let any of them deter him. He was last seen around 10 pm on Tuesday – on a CCTV installed near his home near Lohia Chowk in Benipatti. His house is less than 400 metres from the town’s police station. His motorcycle was still at home, but his clinic was open and his laptop still on.

It was assumed that Buddhinath had gone out late Tuesday night, or early Wednesday morning, for some work, and that he would return. But he did not return. However, as the day passed his family grew more worried and made a written complaint with the police, who tracked his mobile phone. It was found that it had been switched on at 9 am Wednesday in the village of Betoun, which is about 5 km west of Benipatti. On reaching there the police failed to find any further leads.

Another day – Thursday – passed with the police unable to track down Buddhinath. On Friday, November 12, one BJ Vikas, a cousin of Buddhinath, received information that a body had been found on the highway passing through the Betoun village. Some relatives and the authorities rushed there to find Buddhinath’s body, which was identified by a ring on his finger, a mark on his leg and a chain around his neck.

With consent from the family, the body was sent for an immediate post-mortem, and then handed over to the family. The last rites were performed today. The shocking incident has sparked massive outrage in the area, with several asking how he could have been abducted when his home was just a few hundred metres from the police station, the NDTV report added.