PATNA: Vimal Kumar, a journalist associated with a leading Hindi daily, was shot dead by unidentified armed criminals in Bihar's Araria district on Friday morning.
According to preliminary reports, the incident took place at around 5.30 am at Prem Nagar under the Raniganj police station area in Araria district. Two criminals riding a motorbike reached the 40-year-old journalist's residence and fired at him from close range. The bullet hit the right side of his chest and he died on the spot. The assailants, however, escaped on their motorbike after the incident.
Araria Superintendent of Police Ashok Kumar said that the body has been sent for post-mortem. A team of forensic experts and sniffer dogs have rushed to the spot.
“Efforts are on to arrest the criminals involved in the crime,” he said.
Initial investigation revealed that the slain journalist was a prime witness in the murder of his younger brother Shashibhushan alias Gabbu Yadav in 2019. His family members told the police that he was threatened with dire consequences for pursuing the murder case. The next date of the hearing was fixed on August 19.
Police sources said that the case is being probed from this angle. “We hope to crack the case within 24 hours,” SP told TNIE reporter over the phone.
The incident has sent shock waves among journalists across the state. On Thursday, Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar denied the increase in criminal activities in the state in the last few months.
“Only a few incidents of crime take place. But it doesn't mean that law and order is bad in the state,” he had told the media after he returned from New Delhi on Thursday.
Earlier in 2016, another journalist Rajdeo Ranjan was gunned down by armed assailants in Siwan. The incident sparked national wide protests by journalists, which forced the state government to hand over the investigation to CBI. Since then at least five journalists have been killed for various reasons in the state.
The latest incident was reported from Rohtas district where Dharmendra Kumar Singh was shot dead allegedly by stone-crushing mafia. Earlier another journalist Mithilesh Pandey was killed in Gaya district.