Journalists’ Forum Assam (JFA), while expressing shock over the murder of television journalist  Ratan Singh at Phephna village under Ballia district of Uttar Pradesh, demands stringent punishments to the culprits, six of whom were already arrested by the police.

Singh (45), who used to work for Hindi news channel Sahara Samay, was shot dead by his neighbours on the night of 24 August 2020 to settle their old enmity and property disputes. UP chief minister Yogi Adityanath condoled his death and announced an ex-gratia of Rs 10 lakh to the bereaved family.

Earlier,  a young scribe of Assam was murdered on  8 August at his rented office in  Tinsukia town. Bijendeep Tanti (32), who was associated with private channel NewsTimeAssam and ran a Facebook portal DinPratidinNortheast,  was found lying dead with severe injuries. The police had arrested the prime accused in the murder and she reportedly confessed the crime.

Weeks back,  journalist Sunil Tiwari (35), who worked for a Gwalior-based Hindi newspaper was beaten, stabbed and shot to death in Madhya Pradesh’s  Niwari locality on 22 July, when he was returning home in the evening hours. Sunil was attacked by a group of criminals, some of them were already arrested, as he reported their illogical activities.

The same day, UP journalist  Vikram Joshi (45) succumbed to his injuries in a Ghaziabad hospital. Joshi, who worked for local newspaper JanSagarToday,  was attacked on 20 July by a group of goons and shot at him in front of his two minor daughters as he had lodged a police complaint about eve-teasing against some local criminals.  The police arrested nine persons suspecting their involvement in the murder.

“We have lost young scribe Shubham Mani Tripathi (25) as the first journo-casualty in the year 2020. UP’s Unnao based reporter was associated with Hindi daily KampuMail and fell prey to bullets of two shooters on 19 June,” said JFA president Rupam Barua and secretary Nava Thakuria, adding that Shubham was a brave journalist who reported on illegal sand mining practices that invited enmity from the criminals, some of them were already arrested by the police.