Two journalists killed after a tiff
The two were crushed by a Scorpio driven by Mohammad Harsu, ANI photo.
Two journalists were killed at Ara in Bihar's Bhojpur district on Sunday night when a Scorpio smashed into their bike.
The owner of the vehicle, Mohammad Harsu, husband of a former mukhiya, had a heated exchange with one of the journalists, Navin Nishcal, on Sunday evening. Harsu, who earlier had threatened to kill Navin, has been arrested.
Harsu's son Dabloo and his driver were in the SUV when the incident took place.
Within hours of the heated exchange, Navin, who worked for Dainik Bhaskar, and his friend Vijay Singh, who was a journalist with a weekly magazine, were crushed by the Scorpio on the Ara-Sasaram highway.
The incident took place when Navin and Vijay were returning home after covering the Ram Navami events.
Soon after the accident, Dabloo and the driver fled from the site of the accident, leaving the vehicle there.
An irate mob, which blocked the state highway till late on Sunday night to protest the killing of the two journalists, set the SUV on fire.
On Monday, a delegation of the journalists met the ADG (Headquarters) S K Singhal and demanded the immediate arrest of the accused.
"A Special Investigation Team (SIT) has been constituted under a DSP-rank officer. Besides, the police have arrested Mohammad Harsu, the prime accused, on Monday," said the ADG, adding that Patna IG Nayaar Hasnain Khan would monitor the investigation into the case.
"Raids are on to nab Dabloo and the other accused," he said.
Two years back, the bureau chief of the Hindi daily Hindustan Rajdeo Ranjan was shot dead in Siwan in May 2016.
He reportedly earned the wrath of a former MP, who was then lodged in Siwan jail, by writing articles against him.