Video Producer: Shohini Bose
Video Editor: Vishal Kumar
Journalist Vikram Joshi, who was shot at in front of his two daughters by a group of men in Ghaziabad on 20 July, has succumbed to his injuries, news agency ANI reported on Wednesday, 22 July.
Joshi was travelling on a motorcycle with his daughters when the men assaulted him and opened fire on Monday night. According to Kalanidhi Naithani, SSP of Ghaziabad, 9 people have been arrested so far, including the two main accused –Ravi and Chotu – and an illegal weapon had been recovered.
The police suspect that the attack on Joshi could be because he had recently complained against a group of men who were harassing his niece.
After the family of the journalist alleged inaction by police, the station-in-charge has also been suspended and a departmental inquiry has been initiated. Joshi, who received a bullet injury on his head, was said to be in a critical condition at a private hospital in the city.
In solidarity with Joshi, a number of journalists in Ghaziabad staged a protest against his murder.
‘We Want Justice’: Journo’s Kin
Ashish, nephew of the slain journalist, told ANI that the “son of Kamal-ud-din” had shot his uncle in the head.
“The main culprit is Kamal-ud-din’s son. He shot my uncle in the side of the head. First, they hit him a lot, there were around 15-20 of them. What did my uncle do to them to deserve that? By the time we reached, they had also run away. We want justice. We want Kamal-ud-din’s son here,” he told ANI, adding that police was not cooperating.
He also added that his sister used to be eve-teased by people who would pass comments on her.
The UP Police has released a list of 10 persons, of which 3 are accused and arrested, while 6 have been detained and one is absconding.
Parts of the attack were recorded in a chilling CCTV footage where the bike which Joshi was riding with his two daughters can be suddenly seen veering towards a road in Vijay Nagar area of Ghaziabad.
After a few seconds, the group of men gather near the bike and start assaulting the rider. The bike can be seen falling on the ground and the two children running away.
While the time when the bullet was fired is unclear from the footage, Joshi is seen being dragged towards a car and being thrashed before the attackers flee the spot.
The incident took place around 10:30 pm in the night, according to NDTV.
(At The Quint, we are answerable only to our audience. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member. Because the truth is worth it.)