Mumbai, June 15 (IANS) Over 50 Mumbai mediapersons Wednesday launched a one-day relay hunger strike protesting the Maharashtra government's refusal to hand over the probe into the murder of journalist Jyotirmoy Dey to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).

Braving the heavy rains lashing the metropolis, journalists started arriving at the Mumbai Marathi Patrakar Sangh for the relay hunger strike.

"More are likely to join later in the day," Mumbai Press Club president Gurbir Singh said.

Patrakar Halla Virodhi Kruti Samiti (PHVKS) president S.M. Deshmukh said similar token strikes have been organised in various parts of the state.

Mumbai Press Club secretary Sunil Shivdasani: "The Chief Minister (Prithviraj Chavan) refused to consider our demand for resignation of Home Minister R.R. Patil and suspension of city Police Commissioner Arup Patnaik. In view of this, the (PHVKS) has decided to continue the agitation by resorting to a relay hunger strike from today (Wednesday)."

"While the Mumbai agitation will continue, similar token relay hunger strikes have also been organised in Pune, Aurangabad, Nagpur and several districts across the state," Deshmukh told IANS.

Following the protest march by over 500 journalists Monday, the state government assured to bring in a law to protect journalists, but refused to hand over the Dey killing probe to the CBI.

On Tuesday, Chavan for the second time rejected journalists' demand that the probe into Dey's murder be handed over to the federal investigative agency.

However, Chavan hinted that the Mumbai Police have made headway into the case.

Dey, a Mid-Day journalist who used to report on the underworld, was shot dead by four unidentified motorcycle-borne assailants as he was riding his bike near his residence in Powai June 11.