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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.
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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.