Journalist murder case: Charges framed against Mohammad Shahabuddin

Patna, Jan 29: A court on Tuesday framed charges against former RJD MP Mohammad Shahabuddin and seven others in connection with the murder of journalist Rajdev Ranjan. The next hearing in the case has been fixed for February 12.

Rajdev Ranjan, Siwan bureau chief of Hindi daily Hindustan, was murdered in May 2016. Five persons were arrested in connection with the case within a few days of the murder.

In May 2017, a CBI court had issued production warrant against Mohammad Shahabuddin seeking his appearance before it from Tihar Jail through video conferencing for his trial in the murder case of journalist Rajdeo Ranjan.

The four times RJD MP from Siwan is alleged to have been involved in the murder of Rajdeo Ranjan. Shahabuddin is facing trial in more than 45 criminal cases and was moved to Tihar jail in February 2017 on a Supreme Court order on the pleas by Siwan native Chandrakeshwar Prasad, whose three sons were killed in two separate incidents.

According to reports, Ranjan, a postgraduate who also held a law degree, started his journalistic career with Hindustan nearly 16 years ago as a stringer from Siwan. He later became a staff member. He took over as the newspaper's Siwan bureau chief about seven years ago. He had covered Siwan politics and crime extensively and had penned several reports on court proceedings against Shahabuddin.