NEW DELHI: The Committee to Protect Journalists condemned Monday’s killing of journalist Ashutosh Srivastava and Sunday’s assault on journalist Raghav Trivedi in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh and called on authorities to thoroughly investigate the incidents and bring those responsible to justice.
At about 9:30 a.m. on May 13, Srivastava, a correspondent for the Hindu-right wing news channel Sudarshan News and a member of the ruling Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), was shot several times by unknown assailants while riding his motorcycle at an intersection outside the city of Jaunpur, according to news reports. He was declared dead upon arrival at a local hospital and police were investigating the incident, those sources said.
CPJ was unable to establish if Srivastava was killed in relation to his journalism.
A month earlier, Srivastava had raised concerns about his safety with local police, after receiving threats due to his reporting on the illegal slaughter of cows, according to The New Indian Express and a reporter who spoke to CPJ on condition of anonymity, citing fear of reprisals.
On May 12, Raghav Trivedi, a reporter with the digital outlet Molitics, was assaulted during an election rally addressed by Home Minister and senior BJP leader Amit Shah in the city of Rae Bareli, some 80 kilometers (50 miles) southeast of the state capital Lucknow, according to news reports.
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