Obit

Akshay Singh, 38

TV JOURNALIST Akshay Singh died unexpectedly of a purported heart attack Saturday, July 4, while on assignment in Central India.  He was brought to a nearby hospital by his crew, but was declared dead. He was 38.

Singh, who was working for the Delhi-based Aaj Tak News, was in Madhya Pradesh to interview the family of a girl who died after her name was linked to the so-called “Vyapam scam,” a massive recruitment scam which allegedly involves doctors, officials, businessmen, and politicians. (“Madhya Pradesh: Delhi-based TV reporter dies after interviewing Vyapam scam victim’s family,” International Business Times, July 5, 2015)

Singh’s death caused alarm in India as at least twenty-five people linked to the Vyapam scam have already died due to “unnatural circumstances” (“Vyapam scam: mystery over journalist’s death,” The Hindu, July 5, 2015). The post mortem on Singh’s body ruled out foul play in his death, but results of some tests are yet to be received.

“The post mortem does not show any foul play. No external wounds were found on the body. To determine the reason behind the death we have sent viscera for histopathology and forensic analysis. After reports come in, we’ll be able to give a reason behind death,” medical officer of Dahod Civil Hospital Dr. Ashok Bachani said.” (“AajTak journalist Akshay Singh covering Vyapam scam dies in Jhabua, Madhya Pradesh,” India Today, July 4, 2015)

Bonnie Red Elk, 63

Prominent Native American journalist Bonnie Red Elk died Sunday, June 28, due to complications from a stroke she suffered in 2014. She was 63.

A member of the Fort Peck Tribes and a Poplar resident, she was editor of the Fort Peck Assiniboine and Sioux tribe official newspaper, the Wotanin Wowapi, despite not having  formal journalism school training. She rose to the position in 1976 until she was fired in 2006 for researching on a possible story involving the chairman of the tribes, John Morales, who allegedly used tribal funds for personal trips to Florida. A month after being fired from Wotanin Wowapi, she founded the Fort Peck Journal, an independent newspaper with which she served as editor until suffering a debilitating stroke last year. (“Montana journalis, Red Elk, dead at 63,” Great Falls Tribune, June 29, 2015)

Red Elk was also a founding member of the Native American Journalist Association (NAJA), an Oklahoma-based Native media and communications agency.

Red Elk also received distinctions for her work. These include the Wassaja Award given by NAJA in 2007 and the Montana Free Press Award from the University of Montana in 2008 for her “tenacity and courage in reporting” (“Influential Montana Native American journalist dies,” KBZK.com, July 2, 2015)

She is survived by four children and grandchildren.