Barely two days after senior Kannada journalist Gauri Lankesh was murdered in Bengaluru, a journalist in Bihar’s Arwal district was shot at and robbed of ₹1 lakh on Thursday by two motorcycle-borne assailants. The incident took place 60 km from here.
Police officials said Pankaj Mishra, who was working for the local edition of Hindi newspaper Rashtriya Sahara, was returning after withdrawing money from a bank when he was attacked.
Mr. Mishra was later admitted to the Patna Medical College and Hospital (PMCH) and is said to be out of danger.
Dilip Kumar, Arwal Superintendent of Police told The Hindu that the assailants fired twice at Mr. Mishra. When he collapsed on the road the assailants fled with the money.
One of the two robbers, Kundan Mahto, was later arrested, Mr. Kumar said. Police are searching for the other assailant, Ambika Mahto.
Asked if it was a case of robbery, the SP said, “it will be known only after the investigation.” However, local police officials said, “prima facie it’s a case of robbery or some personal enmity.”
The injured journalist was first taken to a primary health centre from where he was shifted to the Arwal Sadar hospital. Later, he was referred to PMCH, said the SP.
The journalist alleged that the attackers had links with a local ruling party JD(U) legislator.
Speaking to a news channel, Mr. Mishra said that since he had written several stories against Kundan Mahto, son of a personal assistant to the JD(U) MLA, in his newspaper, he targeted him.
Earlier in 2016, a senior journalist in Siwan district Rajdeo Ranjan who was working with the Hindi newspaper Hindustan , was gunned down, a few yards from his office, allegedly by henchmen of former Siwan RJD MP Mohd Shahabuddin.
