Seventh journalist killed in India this year

 JournalismPakistan.com |  Published 8 years ago

The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) and the National Union of Journalists (India) have condemned the killing of a journalist in Bilhaur, Uttar Pradesh, India on November 30.

The IFJ is demanding immediate arrest and prosecution of the perpetrators.

Naveen Gupta, a 35-year-old correspondent of the Hindustan Hindi daily, was shot dead on November 30 at 7:00 pm by three or four bike-borne unidentified assailants while he was coming out of a public toilet behind a shop owned by his brother. The assailants fled the scene immediately after the murder. The journalist was rushed to a hospital but he succumbed to his injuries on the way. Five bullets hit him in the face and chest.

Gupta is survived by his wife and a four-year-old son. Police have registered a case and are investigating the murder. The motive behind the murder was not immediately known.

According to IFJ Killed List, Gupta is the seventh journalist to be killed in India in 2017. Nineteen journalists have been murdered in India since 2015, bringing the total number of journalists killed since 1990 to 109, and underlining, once again, the need for safety measures for journalists in India.

Ras Bihari, the NUJ(I) President, said: “Security threats have increased on independent-minded journalists across the country with very few cases being solved or culprits brought to book. The NUJ(I) condemns the killing of journalists and appeals to agencies to take adequate security measures to protect working journalists. Suppression of press freedom under any condition is anti-democratic and the NUJ(I) will protest against such curbs.”

Ramesh Jain, the General Secretary of Uttar Pradesh Journalists Association (UPJA) and Deepak Agnihotri, President UPJA, said: "The latest killing of journalists in India has made it one of the Asia's deadliest countries for reporters. The UPJA condemns these killings and urges the government to take action against the culprits.”

The IFJ General Secretary Anthony Bellanger said: "The IFJ condemns the killing of journalist Naveen Gupta in Kanpur, India and expresses serious concerns over the continued violence against journalists in the world’s largest democracy. The number of journalists killed in India over past few years shows the danger of the profession and the Indian government’s failure to protect journalists and end impunity for crimes against journalists. The IFJ demands urgent arrest and prosecution of the killers as well as concrete action to end violence against journalists.” – IFJ media release