UP: TV Journalist Shot Dead In Ballia, 3 Accused Arrested, CM Yogi Announces Rs 10 Lakh Ex Gratia

UP Police claims that the incident happened over a land dispute the Ratan Singh, family denies these claims. An investigation is underway.

Ratan Singh, 42, worked in a local Hindi TV News Channel

Uttar Pradesh: A Hindi News Channel journalist shot dead by a group of men near his residence UP's Ballia on Monday late evening allegedly over a property dispute, said police, adding that all the 3 accused involved in the attack have been arrested. Also Read|UP Horror: After Lakhimpur, Teenage Girl Raped In Gorakhpur, Singed With Cigarette Butts, 2 Men Arrested Ratan Singh, a local journalist who contributed stories for a private news channel, was shot dead at around 9 PM on Monday near his home in eastern UP's Ballia, about 260 km from state capital Lucknow. He was 42 years old. Police said the victim, Ratan Singh, was allegedly beaten up before he was shot inside the village head’s residence, which is just 700 metres from the victim’s house. Three villagers, all distant relatives of Ratan, have been detained for questioning. Singh's father, however, has disputed the claim by police. "There was no property dispute. Please go to the spot and see for yourself. The police is spinning the story," Binod Singh told the journalists in a late-night statement. Also Read|13-Yr-Old Girl Raped & Strangled In UP, Father Says 'Her Eyes Gouged And Tongue Cut', Cops Deny Police said  Singh lived in a house in the urban part of the district. His family had been involved in a property dispute with the accused over a house in his village for the last few years, officials said. Last night, the 42-year-old had gone to his village over the matter when he was chased and shot dead. Singh was trying to escape his attackers when he was caught in the gunfire. "The accused had built a wall around the property. The accused had also placed a haystack on the land to stake claim, which was removed by the journalist. A fight broke out over the matter and the journalist was attacked. He died on the spot. Police have arrested the three accused. Property dispute and old enmity are believed to be the reasons behind the attack," Subhash Dubey, Deputy Inspector General, Azamgarh Range, told reporters. "I must state again the attack had nothing to do with the fact the man was a journalist," he added. The Ballia Working Journalists Union has expressed anger over the incident. Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has announced a compensation of ₹ 10 lakh for the family of the journalist. The Chief Minister "has expressed his deepest condolences and also directed that all possible action be taken against the accused," his office said today in a statement. Reacting to the incident, Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra took aim at Yogi Adityanath, saying the law and order situation in UP has gone from bad to worse. “This is the crime meter of only two days in UP. The UP government repeatedly covers the incidents of crime, but crime is chanting on the streets of the state,” she said in a tweet on Tuesday morning.

यूपी के सीएम सरकार की स्पीड बताते हैं और अपराध का मीटर उससे दोगुनी स्पीड से भागने लगता है।

प्रत्यक्षम् किम् प्रमाणम् ये यूपी में केवल दो दिनों का अपराध का मीटर है। यूपी सरकार बार-बार अपराध की घटनाओं पर पर्दा डालती है मगर अपराध चिंघाड़ते हुए प्रदेश की सड़कों पर तांडव कर रहा है। pic.twitter.com/vaN3J5wG2T — Priyanka Gandhi Vadra (@priyankagandhi) August 25, 2020

In July, another journalist Vikram Joshi was attacked while he was returning home on scooty with his daughter near his house in Vijay Nagar, Ghaziabad. Joshi received serious injuries and died in a hospital two days after the incident. The police had arrested 10 people in the case.