Two journalists shot dead in Bihar, Jharkhand in 24 hours; two detained in Siwan

A senior journalist in Bihar and a TV channel reporter in Jharkhand were shot dead by unidentified gunmen in a span of 24 hours, sparking protests by mediapersons and triggering a shutdown in the areas.

Rajdeo Ranjan, Siwan district chief of Hindi daily "Hindustan", was fired at in Siwan district late Thursday evening when he was going on his motorcycle near the fruit market on Station Road under Town police station at around 7:45 PM, Superintendent of Police Saurabh Kumar Sah said. Ranjan, 45, died on the way to hospital, he added.

The SP said the motive behind the murder was yet to be ascertained. Ranjan has been writing for a long time against law-breakers of the area.

Meanwhile, the Bihar police on Saturday morning detained two people in Ranjan's murder case, who are being interrogated.

In Jharkhand, Akhilesh Pratap Singh (35), a journalist of a news channel, was gunned down by unidentified people at Dewaria in Chatra district, police said. Singh was attacked near panchayat secretariat of the village last night, a police official said. A bandh was observed in Chatra town in protest against the killing.

Chief Minister Raghubar Das condemned the incident and asked Director General of Police D K Pandey to arrest the assailants at the earliest. A delegation of local journalists met Deputy Commissioner Amit Kumar and Superintendent of Police Anjani Kumar Jha and demanded adequate compensation to the family of the victim.

(With agencies inputs)