Television Journalist Shot Dead In Uttar Pradesh's Ballia

BALLIA || A journalist was shot dead in Ballia district of Uttar Pradesh late on Monday, police said. Identified as Ratan Singh, the scribe worked for a private news channel. He was killed by unidentified assailants, 500 metres away from the Phephna police station.

The 40-year-old tried to escape the gunmen but was ambushed and killed. Senior police officials, including the district police chief Devendra Nath, additional SP Sanjay Kumar rushed to the crime scene.

Preliminary information suggests that the slain journalist was at the district headquarters for most of the day and left for his village in the evening. He was returning to his home after a brief visit to a neighbour when some people opened fire on him.

He tried to find refuge in the house of the village head but the assailants barged in there too and pumped three bullets in him.

A bullet hit him on the head and he died on the spot. Reasons behind the killing are yet not clear and the police is trying to

find out all the possible angles. "So far no complaint has been given by the family but we have begun investigations," a cop told The News Agency. The incident has triggered a wave of anger in the media fraternity of the state as this is one of the many incidents in which journalists have been targeted.