A journalist working for a national Hindi newspaper was shot dead on Monday by two men on a motorbike at Sarsopahi bazar in Bihar’s Madhubani district, PTI reported. A senior police officer said the journalist was identified as Pradeep Mandal, who worked for Hindi daily Dainik Jagran.
The police officer said the accused were identified as Sushil Sah and Ashok Kamat. They fled the spot after killing Mandal. He was taken to the Sarsopahi primary health centre, where doctors declared him dead on arrival. The body was then sent for an autopsy, the police said.
Initial investigation showed that Mandal was murdered because of an old enmity between the journalist and his attackers, the police said.
Rashtriya Janata Dal legislator Shakti Singh Yadav condemned the murder and sought the immediate arrest of the attackers. “This is the glaring example of deteriorating law and order situation in the state,” Yadav said. “Democracy will be in perils if people, who work as a watchman of democracy, are shot dead by criminals. Journalists are the mirror of the society and it is the first and foremost duty of the government to protect them.”
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