Acid attack on journalist

Katju forms one-member probe committee

A reporter of a Marathi daily, along with his wife and daughter, was attacked with acid late on Tuesday night in Purna town of Maharashtra's Parbhani district.

The attackers of Dinesh Chowdhary (40), his wife Arsana and their teenage daughter Rashmi are allegedly associated with the ruling Congress party, with the main accused, Sayyad Ali, being the president of the Congress unit of Purna tehsil.

Mr. Chowdhary was working with Marathi daily

Tarun Bharat (Solapur) and was consistently writing against the illegal sale of

gutkha by a

gutkha mafia.

Gutkha is banned in Maharashtra.

Press Council of India Chief Markandey Katju on Thursday appointed a one-member committee to probe the incident. Police have arrested Sayyad Habib Sayyad Hasan (35), Munja Dargu (40), Anil Kurkule (32), and Pandit Walkar (30). Mr. Ali is absconding.