Journalist shot dead in U.P’s Sitapur
The incident sparked protest and resentment following which adequate police force was deployed in Maholi tehsil of Sitapur
A 36-year-old journalist of a national Hindi news daily and RTI activist, Raghvendra Bajpai, was shot dead in a daylight attack on the Lucknow-Delhi highway under Maholi police station limits in Sitapur district on Saturday, senior police officials said.
Doctors confirmed that Bajpai sustained two bullet wounds in the upper abdomen.
The incident led to protests as hundreds gathered at the postmortem house, demanding immediate arrests. Lucknow range inspector general (IG) of police, Prashant Kumar II, visited Sitapur in the evening to assess the situation and briefed UP director general of police (DGP) Prashant Kumar. A strong police presence was deployed in Maholi tehsil to maintain order.
Additional superintendent of police (South), Praveen Ranjan Singh, stated that the attack occurred around 3:15 pm when Bajpai was crossing the Maholi overbridge on a motorcycle. Armed assailants intercepted him and fired multiple shots, leaving him critically injured. Four teams have been formed to track down those responsible, he said.
The journalist’s family informed the police that he had been receiving threats for the past ten days after exposing irregularities in paddy procurement and land deals in Maholi tehsil. Following his reports, four Lekhpals were suspended. However, the police have not confirmed a specific motive behind the murder.
According to family members, Bajpai left his home in Maholi around 3 pm for his office in Sitapur after receiving a phone call.
A police official involved in the investigation stated that three rounds were fired, and the attackers escaped immediately. Eyewitnesses reported that three assailants, riding a motorcycle, carried out the attack.
Initial findings suggest that the killers were aware of Bajpai’s routine and had been following him. They intercepted him when his motorcycle slowed down due to traffic and opened fire. A case of murder has been registered against unidentified assailants, and investigations are underway, a police official stated.
