Ghaziabad journalist shot at by assailants dies; opposition parties target Yogi over law & order

GHAZIABAD: Ghaziabad-based journalist Vikram Joshi, who was shot in the head by some assailants two days ago, succumbed to the injuries on Wednesday, his family said.
Joshi, who had made a complaint with police alleging harassment of his niece on July 16, was attacked around 10.30 pm on Monday while he was returning home in Vijay Nagar area on a two wheeler along with his two daughters, according to officials.

The scribe aged around 35 years worked with a local Hindi daily.
Joshi was admitted to a private hospital where he died during treatment. He is survived by his wife, two daughters and mother.
"Yes, he (Vikram Joshi) is no more. He passed away around 4am," a family member told .
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, BSP chief Mayawati and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal were among leaders who condemned the attack on the journalist and questioned the law-and-order situation in UP.
Police have registered an FIR on the basis of a complaint by Vikram Joshi's brother Aniket, who alleged that the journalist was given a life threat by the accused men.
Three suspects - Ravi, Shahnoor alias Chhotu and Akash - were named in the FIR, while some other unnamed people were also accused in the case.
The district police have identified Shahnoor alias Chhotu as the man who had shot Joshi after the group waylaid him while he was returning home on Monday night.
Senior Superintendent of Police Kalanidhi Naithani said nine assailants were nabbed on Tuesday and Pratap Vihar police post incharge Raghvendra Singh was suspended with immediate effect for dereliction of duty as he did not pay heed to the harassment complaint lodged by Joshi.
Joshi had filed a police complaint on July 16 that Ravi and his accomplices were harassing his niece, the SSP said.
On the same day, Joshi had engaged in a scuffle with Ravi, Akash and Shahnoor after he raised objections to illegal betting done by them in Mata colony area, Naithani said. The accused are bookies and were operating in the area due to which stakeholders used to come there, the SSP said.
"Ravi had received injuries in the incident and from that day he was planning to take a revenge from Joshi," he said.
A CCTV footage of the attack on the journalist that has surfaced on social media purportedly shows Joshi's two-wheeler swerving before falling down and him getting attacked by the armed group of men.
His daughters ran away to some distance, while the men caught hold of Joshi and started thrashing him. Suddenly, one of them opened fire and Joshi fell on the ground. The accused fled the spot, while his elder daughter rushed back to him and sat next to him on the road looking for help, the purported footage showed.
Shahnoon and Akash have been arrested while Ravi is still absconding, the police said. Besides them, the police have also arrested seven men identified as Mohit, Dalbir, Yogendra, Shaqir, two men who go by the same name of Abhishek, and another accused Akash (besides the one who was named in the FIR), the officials said.
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has announced a financial aid of Rs 10 lakh for Joshi's family, a job for his wife and free education for his children, an official spokesperson said in Lucknow.
Condemning the incident, Rahul Gandhi slammed the Adityanath government over the law and order in the state.
"Journalist Vikram Joshi was killed for opposing the molestation of his niece. My condolences to the bereaved family. The promise was of giving 'Ram Raj', but gave 'Gundaraj'," he said in a tweet.
Congress' chief sopkesperson Randeep Surjewala also reacted to the killing of the journalist and said there was ''gunda raj'' and ''jungle raj'' in the state.
"It is clear there is no law and order in Uttar Pradesh. Becoming a journalist in Uttar Pradesh has become a sin," he said.
The Samajwadi Party announced a financial help of Rs 2 lakh for Joshi's family and demanded that the state government provide Rs 25 lakh to the next of kin and bear all education expense of his children.
"The way heinous crimes like murder and those against women are continuing unabated, it is clear that instead of law and order, jungle raj is prevailing in UP. Crime virus of criminals is more active than coronavirus in UP. People are fed up and the government must address this issue," Mayawati said on Twitter.
The Delhi chief minister too demanded "strictest punishment" for the accused.
Meanwhile, Ghaziabad District Magistrate Ajay Shankar Pandey and SSP Naithani visited Joshi's family in the hospital in the afternoon. They assured the family of full support, according to the officials. KIS ABN CORR DPB DPB DPB