Television reporter covering Vyapam scam suddenly falls ill, dies

Jhabua, Madhya Pradesh:  A journalist working for a leading Delhi-based news channel suddenly took ill and died after having interviewed parents of a girl who had been found dead near railway tracks after her name figured in the infamous Vyapam scam of Madhya Pradesh.

The incident took place in Meghnagar near Jhabua town.

Akshay Singh, who worked for a prominent hindi news channel, had called on the parents of Namrata Damor, whose body had been found under mysterious circumstances near railway tracks in Ujjain district.

Namrata's father Mehtab Singh Damor said Akshay and two others visited their house this afternoon. After the interview was over, a person was sent to get some papers photocopied.

As Akshay was waiting outside Damor's house, suddenly he started frothing at the mouth. He was rushed to civil hospital and later to a private hospital, but doctors failed to revive him. From there he was taken to another hospital in nearby Dahod in Gujarat, where he was declared brought dead.

Jhabua district's Superintendent of Police Abid Khan confirmed that a person named Akshay Singh had died in Meghnagar.

Read: Digvijay Singh raises question over death of Delhi-based journalist

At least 25 accused / witnesses have died so far in Vyapam scam, a massive admission and recruitment racket involving several bureaucrats and politicians, and the opposition Congress has been demanding a CBI probe into the matter.

Meanwhile, Madhya Pradesh Home Minister Babulal Gaur said the decision as to whether further probe was necessary into Akshay Singh's death would be taken only after getting the autopsy report.

"Let the post-mortem report come first...then we will decide on probing the issue further," said Mr Gaur, who arrived in Jhabua for an official tour.

About the significant number of deaths of accused in Vyapam scam, the Home Minister said the matter was before the court and also under investigation.