Bangalore mourns on J Dey's killing

This candlelight vigil was special. Journalists gathered at the Mahatma Gandhi statue in Bangalore on Monday to pay their respect to slain reporter J Dey. Flames flickered, and palms shielded them from the sudden burst of rain. The mellow candlelight announced that Jyotirmoy Dey, who was shot dead by unidentified assailant in Mumbai on Saturday, would live on and inspire fellow journalists to be fearless.

Many of those gathered knew Dey well. Some had only met him briefly. There were others who did not know him personally, but wanted to show that they cared for one of their own.

“This is yet another case of one who chose not to take police protection, because that might have cut him off from his sources,” said Preety Srinivasan, a journalist.

“It was a brutal killing, one that we should all protest,” said Om Prakash, a press photographer.

“I worked for the Mid Day. I used to edit his columns,” one of those present said. A placard she carried read, “You may silence journalists, but you cannot silence the truth.”

Aditya Anand, editor of Bangalore edition of the Mid Day, said: “We are here because we knew Dey personally, it’s a personal loss.”
“Don’t ask me who killed him. I don’t know. He’s been doing what he was doing for the last two decades, and he was among the best in his field,” said a close friend of the slain journalist, who did not wish to be named.

City police commissioner BG Jyotiprakash Mirji visited briefly to assure those present that such an incident would not occur in Bangalore.