Month after brutal attack, scribe dies

Ranchi: Baijnath Mahto, the city-based video journalist who was attacked in the Kokar area here last month, succumbed to his injuries at the Rajendra Institute of Medical Sciences (Rims) on Monday.
Governor Ramesh Bais and chief minister Hemant Soren expressed sorrow over Mahto’s demise and prayed for the well-being of his family members. State finance minister Rameshwar Oraon and former Union minister Subodh Kant Sahay also condoled Mahto’s death.
State BJP president Deepak Prakash also condoled his death and said the state government should provide economic aid and a government job to the dependent.
Mahto (36), who had sustained severe head injuries in the attack, was undergoing treatment at Rims for several weeks and was discharged only a few days ago. However, he had to be re-admitted when his condition deteriorated.
He is survived by his two sisters and was cremated at the Khijur Toli village in Ormanjhi block in the evening.
On September 10, Mahto, who was working with a city-based news channel, was attacked by a few people near his house when he allegedly intervened in an argument that his landlord was having with some persons. One of the accused, identified as Akash Gupta, has been arrested in connection with the crime.