Unidentified miscreants shot dead a journalist identified as Vimal Kumar Yadav, aged 35, was killed at his residence in Premnagar village of Bihar’s Araria district early on Friday.
As per the police, Yadav worked for a Hindi daily and the assailants knocked at his house gates at around 5.30 am and opened fire as soon as he opened them. He died on the spot.
The district police chief and the SHO of Raniganj, the concerned police station, rushed to the crime scene.
“The dead body has been sent for post-mortem. As per the preliminary investigation, an old enmity of the deceased with his neighbor is believed to be the motive. Further probe and action are being done,” a tweet by Bihar Police informed.
Ashok Kumar Singh, the Superintendent of Police for Araria, also mentioned that the deceased was said to be involved in an old dispute with a neighbour. Forensic experts and the dog squad have been called in. All angles are being probed into, he said, as per news agency PTI.
“From the information received through relatives we got to know that in 2019, Vimal’s younger brother was also killed. The trial was ongoing and the deceased’s testimony was yet to happen. Relatives are suggesting the old feud as the reason for the murder. Araria police are on the site and investigating the matter. We will arrest the culprits soon,” J.S. Gangwar, ADG, Headquarters (Bihar Police) said.
When asked about the incident, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar in Patna said, “I felt really sad and immediately asked officials concerned to look into the incident”. “The matter is being probed and the culprits will be brought to book,” he asserted, as quoted by PTI.
On the other hand, the opposition BJP has lashed out at the Mahagathbandhan government and claimed the incident showed that “democracy is in danger in Bihar”.