A local journalist and RTI activist was shot dead on the Lucknow-Delhi National Highway in Uttar Pradesh’s Sitapur on Saturday. The victim, Raghavendra Bajpai, was a local correspondent of a Hindi Daily in Uttar Pradesh.
Reportedly, the incident happened when the assailants first rammed into his bike and then shot him three times. It was first seen as an accident but was soon turned into a murder case after doctors at a district hospital discovered three bullet wounds on his body.
According to the police, the assailants opened fire on Raghvendra Bajpai (35) while he was commuting on his motorcycle. “Three bullets struck him in the shoulder and chest. The assailants then fled the scene on their motorcycle,” said Additional Superintendent of Police (ASP) Sitapur, Praveen Ranjan Singh.
Bajpai’s family told media outlets that he had received threatening phone calls in recent days. “Evidence collection has commenced and the district borders have been sealed to apprehend the perpetrators. Call details and other legal proceedings are underway,” ASP Singh said.
Geneva-based Press Emblem Campaign (PEC), the global media safety and rights body, expresses concern over this murder and demands a fair probe to deliver justice to the bereaved family.
“It’s heartening to know that a scribe has to pay heavily for his media works. Raghavendra Vajpayee becomes the 26th victim journalist across the world since 1 January 2025. We demand a high level investigation to book the culprits and punish under the law,” said Blaise Lempen, President of PEC, adding that UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath should take a personal interest to resolve the case and adequately compensate the bereaved family.
PEC’s India representative Nava Thakuria revealed that India earlier lost another young scribe in the first week of January itself. Courageous journalist Mukesh Chandrakar (30) from Bijapur locality of Chhattisgarh was found dead and even his body was recovered by a newly constructed septic tank belonging to an influential contractor based in Chattanpara area.
A number of accused individuals were arrested by the police to unearth the murder case relating to Mukesh, who used to run a YouTube channel named Bastar Junction and went on exposing the misappropriation of funds in various government projects in his locality.
Meanwhile, PEC expressed relief that Kashmiri journalist Majid Hyderi was released recently following the High Court’s order stating that criticism of the government can not constitute grounds for detention. Arrested under the Public Safety Act, Hyderi was released by the Jammu & Kashmir High Court after over 525 days of detention.
The independent journalist and political analyst, who is partially associated with local newspaper Greater Kashmir, had already arrived home in Srinagar. He was arrested in September 2023 on charges of alleged extortion and defamation.