IJU Condemns Murder of Dainik Jagran Scribe

Hyderabad: The Indian Journalists Union (IJU) has strongly condemned the brutal murder of Dainik Jagran scribe Raghavendra Bajpai in Uttar Pradesh. Bajpai, a resident of Mohali was reporting for Dainik Jagran from Sitapur. He was shot dead by motorcycle-borne assailants on Saturday.

In a statement released on Monday, IJU president K Sreenivas Reddy and secretary general Balwinder Singh Jammu said increasing attacks on journalists has become a worrying trend in the country and Uttar Pradesh has seen several such attacks lately. Family members of Bajpai claim that he had been killed for his reporting.

That a journalist had been fatally shot in broad daylight is a clear indication that anti-social elements are no longer worried about the consequences, the IJU leaders said and added that this highlights the dire necessity of a special law for safety of journalists.

The IJU leaders urged the government to immediately review the situation and initiate action to ensure safety of journalists. They demanded that the UP government immediately arrest the assailants and arrange adequate financial support to Bajpai’s family.