Prahlad Goala

Asomiya Khabar

January 6, 2006, in Golaghat, India

Goala was murdered near his home in Golaghat district in India's northeastern state of Assam after writing a series of articles on corruption in the Assamese-language daily Asomiya Khabar that linked local forestry service officials to timber smuggling.

Local journalists told CPJ that police arrested forest warden Zamman Jinnah in connection with the death. He was released on bail. Two other suspects, who were not forestry service employees, were also taken into custody, the journalists said.

Jinnah had made death threats against Goala soon after his articles on corruption in the forestry service appeared, The Assam Tribune reported.

Goala, 32, was riding a motorcycle near his home some 160 miles (260 kilometers) east of the state capital, Guwahati, when he was apparently rammed by a truck. When police arrived at the scene, they found that Goala had been stabbed several times.

Local journalist organizations and civic groups staged a protest in Golaghat on January 10 and called for a full investigation into the slaying.

Medium: Print

Job: Print Reporter

Beats Covered: Corruption

Gender: Male

Local or Foreign: Local

Freelance: No

Type of Death: Murder

Suspected Source of Fire: Government Officials

Impunity: Yes

Taken Captive: No

Tortured: No

Threatened: Yes

Related Articles:

• Getting Away with Murder 2008, April 30, 2008
• India: Reporter stoned to death , June 15, 2006
• India: Journalist killed in Assam after writing about corruption , January 10, 2006