Journalist shot in Ghaziabad dies, family alleges inaction by the Police.

Two days after he was shot in front of his two daughters by a group of men in Uttar Pradesh state’s Ghaziabad district, Vikram Joshi, 35, succumbed to his injuries, on Wednesday, as per ANI report.

Joshi was waylaid and shot at around 10:30 p.m on Monday when he was returning home on a motorcycle with his two daughters, aged five and eleven. He was attacked by a group of men who forced him to stop his motorbike and shot him in the head. The attack which was recorded on the CCTV cameras has sparked outrage among Vikram Joshi’s colleagues and journalists across the country.

Police suspect the attack as a ‘revenge attack’  as Joshi had filed a complaint against the group of men for harassing his niece on July 16. So far, nine men in connection with the attack have been arrested, including the two main accused- Ravi and Chotu and have also recovered an illegal weapon According to Kalanidhi Naithani, SSP of Ghaziabad.

The family of the journalist alleged inaction by police. They also claimed that hours before he was shot, he made a call to sub-inspector Raghvendra, saying he was under threat from the accused mentioned in the July 16 complaint but to no avail. According to the deceased’s sister, the two accused were repeatedly abusing their family, and family members were assaulted when they tried to intervene, highlighting a series of glaring lapses on the part of the police, regarding which the station-in-charge has been suspended and a departmental inquiry has been initiated.

Media bodies condemned the murder of the slain journalist and demanded a judicial probe into the matter and other such assaults on scribes and reporters. Several journalists in Ghaziabad staged a protest, in solidarity with Joshi who worked with a local Hindi daily and demanded compensation for the family.

The opposition leaders condemned the attack and took a jibe at the law and order of the state. Former Uttar Pradesh chief minister Akhilesh Yadav questioned the state of law and order in Uttar Pradesh on Twitter, “People are in shock after this incident. The government needs to answer why criminals are allowed to blatantly flout law and order in the state.” followed by Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, Rahul Gandhi, and BSP supremo Mayawati terming the law and order of UP as ‘Gunda Raj’.

Meanwhile, The Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi Adityanath, announced a financial aid of Rs 10 lakh for the family of the journalist, a job for his wife, and free education for his children.

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