Sitapur: A regional journalist for a Hindi daily was shot dead by bike-borne assailants on the Sitapur-Delhi National Highway here on Saturday, police said.
The attack occurred on the overbridge near the Hempur railway crossing, within the Imalia Sultanpur police station area.
According to the police, the assailants opened fire on Raghvendra Bajpai (35) while he was commuting on his motorcycle.
“Three bullets struck him in the shoulder and chest. The assailants then fled the scene on their motorcycle,” said Additional Superintendent of Police (ASP) Sitapur, Praveen Ranjan Singh.
With the assistance of local residents, police transported Bajpai to a nearby hospital, where doctors pronounced him dead on arrival.
Bajpai’s family told media outlets that he had received threatening phone calls in recent days.
“Evidence collection has commenced and the district borders have been sealed to apprehend the perpetrators. Call details and other legal proceedings are underway,” ASP Singh said.
The body has been sent for a post-mortem examination, he added.
Last month, a Chattisgarh-based journalist Mukesh Chandrakar was found dead on January 3, in a septic tank in Bijapur district, on the premises of a corruption-accused contractor who he had recently exposed.
Mukesh Chandrakar, 36, has been running a popular YouTube news channel ‘Bastar Junction’, and has been well-known for reporting the Maoist conflict, and corruption in the region, and has been a stringer for mainstream news channels including NDTV.
Mukesh was last seen on January 1, shortly after receiving a call from the local contractor’s cousin who said he wanted to meet Mukesh. The deceased journalist’s mobile phone had been switched off since 12:30 am on Wednesday, Hindustan Times reported.
Suresh Chandrakar, who was absconding since the murder came to light, was arrested by a Special Investigation Team (SIT) from Hyderabad.
The journalist’s autopsy report revealed the horrific nature of his murder, confirming he was brutally tortured.
The postmortem examination showed that the Chhattisgarh journalist suffered 15 head fractures, a broken neck, a torn heart, and liver that was split into four pieces. In addition, five ribs and several neck bones were broken, and one of his hands had a fractured bone. The damage to his heart was extensive, and there were 15 injuries to his head, The Week reported.
Mukesh’s body was identified by a tattoo on his hand.
