RADIO ACTIVE: Seema Sharma and Gayatri Mishra, in the studio of Radio Today radio hosting the show Ajab Gajab, the hard-hitting program Uma Singh used to broadcast.

The brutal slaying of journalist Uma Singh on 11 January cast a pall of fear over Janakpur that has still not lifted. The message from the killer was in the method of her murder, and it has had a dampening effect on press freedom nationwide, but especially in Janakpur among Uma's colleagues.

Since January numerous journalists in Janakpur have been assaulted and threatened. But it speaks of the courage of the journalists here that the radio stations and newspapers continue to report under very difficult circumstances. Women journalists have been under pressure from families to give up the profession, and some have decided to stay home.

Five people are currently under detention awaiting charges: Lalita Devi Singh, Nemlal Paswan, Shraban Yadav, Bimlesh Jha and Abhishek Singh. Lalita Devi is Uma's sister-in-law and wife of her brother who was disappeared by the Maoists in 2007. Her arrest has been made on the evidence of the number of telephone calls she made, prior to the murder to Umesh Yadav, a former Maoist who is still absconding. He is now known to be with the Jwala Singh group.

Shraban Yadav is a Maoist who police suspect was involved in the disappearance and suspected murder of Uma Singh's father and brother three years ago. Lalita Devi is known to have been close to Shraban, who is a Maoist. Nemlal Paswan and Abhishek Singh are known local criminals with several indictments against them.

However, in a report last week, the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) concluded that Uma Singh was killed for her investigative journalism which was embarrassing to Maoists and former Maoists in the eastern Tarai.

See also:
'Flame of truth', #434
'Press post mortem', #443