A correspondent of Hindi daily Hindustan was shot dead by miscreants in Bihar's Samastipur district Tuesday night. Vikas Ranjan (32) was gunned down by three motorcycle-borne men in front of his office in Rosera town in the district.
The Hindustan Times reported: [Link]
Ranjan was out on the field and had just come out of the newspaper office when the three miscreants, who were waiting for him outside (on motorcycles), opened indiscriminate fire. The three men escaped after firing several shots in the air, leaving Ranjan in a pool of blood. Locals heard the gunshots and rushed Ranjan to hospital, where doctors declared him brought dead.
Ranjan, who wrote extensively on crime and corruption, had been receiving threats for some time. He had brought this to the notice of senior police officials. As soon as news of Ranjan’s death spread, people in the hospital started shouting anti-police slogans. The Samastipur district magistrate said the anti-socials repsonsible for the act would be arrested. The Samastipur SP immediately rushed to the spot.
Ranjan is the third journalist to be killed in India in less than 10 days. Jagajit Saikia, the Kokrajhar district local correspondent of the Guwahati-based daily Amar Asom, was on November 22 shot at near a pharmacy in the heart of Kokrajhar town. The gunmen fired six rounds. Saikia was immediately rushed to the Rupnath Brahma Civil Hospital in Kokrajhar where he succumbed to his injuries. On November 17, unidentified men shot dead Konsam Rishikanta Singh, a trainee sub-editor of English daily Imphal Free Press in Manipur capitai Imphal.
The PatnaDaily.com website had some other details on Ranjan's killing: [Link]
The incident caused a riot like situation in the area as angry journalists and businessmen chanted anti-police slogans and demanded the removal of Samastipur District Magistrate and immediate arrests of Ranjan's killers. Senior police officials including the Samastipur DM and Superintendent of Police (SP) were monitoring the situation.
Anil Sinha, the Additional Director General of Police (ADGP), after receiving orders from Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, said a high-profile team has been formed under the leadership of Darbhanga DIG Vinay Kumar to investigate the case and bring the criminals to justice.
Bihar Director General of Police (DGP) D. N. Gautam said the police had identified the killers of Gautam and raids were being conducted to apprehend them. "Once nabbed, the criminals will be tried in the Speedy Trial Court," Gautam said.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, meanwhile, has expressed grave concern over the killings of the two journalists in Assam and Manipur, an official statement said. The Prime Minister has spoken to the Chief Ministers of both the states advising them to take immediate steps for prompt and fair investigations into the killings. Singh also asked the Chief Ministers to take adequate measures to ensure the security and safety of all journalists and newsmen in their states.
