The Indian Journalists Union (IJU) on Friday raised strong condemnations against the killing of journalist Shankar Jha allegedly by the liquor mafia in Maripur village in Bihar’s Muzaffarpur on Tuesday night.
The IJU demands the culprits be apprehended and brought to book while Nitish Kumar government must ensure safety and security of the fourth estate, stated a release.
As per reports, Jha, who runs a news channel on YouTube was waylaid by unidentified men near a temple in his village while returning from work and stabbed him twice, it stated.
“The police rushed him to the hospital, but he succumbed to his injuries. While the police are yet to make any arrests, an officer said the killing could be due to his journalism as he was being ‘targeted by the liquor mafia’, and he had complained to the police a couple of days ago,” it mentioned.
It also expressed serious concern over the growing attacks on journalists. The police inaction following Jha’s complaint reflects the dismal earnestness that state authorities attach to journalists’ safety and security, it said.
The IJU demands that those behind Jha’s killing must be brought to book immediately and the state government must enact a safety law for journalists and media workers to act as a deterrent for both state and non-state actors from attacking the fourth estate, it added.
