TV journalist shot dead in Ballia

Three suspects have been taken into custody

A television journalist was shot dead in a village in Ballia district of eastern Uttar Pradesh late on Monday, police said.

Unknown assailants shot dead Ratan Singh inside the campus of the local gram pradhan, said Devendra Nath, Superintendent of Police, Ballia.

Mr. Singh worked as a reporter in Ballia for Sahara Samay UP/UK, the Hindi news channel said in a tweet.

The incident took place in the Phephna area of the district.

Mr. Nath said that while an old dispute might have been behind the murder, the facts of the case and the likely reasons behind it were being investigated.

The Samajwadi Party said the murder of the journalist was an unfortunate example of the “jungleraj” under the BJP government in Uttar Pradesh.

Congress State president Ajay Kumar Lallu said that while the Uttar Pradesh government was oppressing journalists, criminals were murdering them without fear.

“Every day, every hour, innocents are being murdered,” Mr. Lallu said, asking Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath when would his “morality” get stirred.

Ballia police said the incident had no connection with the victim’s journalism. The journalist Ratan Singh had a long-running land dispute with his neighbours, said police.

Three suspects have been taken into custody.