NEW DELHI: UP horticulture minister Parasnath Yadav has triggered outrage with his insensitive remarks on the killing of UP journalist Jagendra Singh. While speaking to reporters the minister said: "There are some incidents that happen in the course of nature and destiny...you can't fight nature."

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BJP workers on Sunday staged protest against the SP government for its failure to arrest minister of state for backward welfare Ram Murti Singh Verma for his alleged involvement in journalist Jagendra Singh murder case.

Last week, Shahjahanpur-based journalist Jagendra Singh was killed after he launched a social media campaign against UP minister Rammurti Singh Verma. Jagendra was reportedly set ablaze by Verma's henchmen on June 1. Singh succumbed to his burn injuries in a Lucknow hospital a week later.

This incident was followed by the Pilibhit case, where a journalist, Haidar Khan, was allegedly tied to a motorcycle, dragged and beaten up for reporting on a land-grab case.

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The gruesome killing followed by an alleged cover up by the government and attempts to lure the family into a compromise have cornered the Akhilesh Yadav government which has been accused of protecting the criminals behind the act and inaction against his minister.

Jagendra Singh had been using social media sites like Facebook to report on alleged illegal activities of the Samajwadi Party minister Ram Murti Verma like land grabbing and mining. He had also alleged rape of an anganwadi worker by Verma and his supporters including a few cops. He had earlier reported of being threatened by the minister's men and on June 1, a police party raided his residence and allegedly shim on fire.

Singh was immediately rushed to the hospital with 60% burns and in his various statements to the media and a magistrate said that the policemen led by sub inspector Sriprakash Rai had set him ablaze at the behest of the minister Ram Murti Verma and another Samajwadi Party worker against whom he had been writing about. In one video recording he is heard saying "if the minister was upset over my writing against his illegal activities, he could have beaten but why pour kerosene and set me on fire".

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VIDEO: Watch scribe's dying words

Singh succumbed to his injuries on June 8 even as his family members kept running pillar to post for justice. After his death created an outcry, the government on backfoot lodged an FIR against 9 accused including the dairy development minister Ram Murti Verma and sub inspector Sriprakash Rai.