On January 7, a crime journalist of the Hindi daily Hindustan newspaper, identified as Rajesh Anal, was shot by criminals in Bihar’s Siwan. He was rushed to the Sadar Hospital for treatment. Rajesh works for the newspaper in Maharajganj. This is the third time Rajesh has been attacked since 2002. As per reports, the bullets hit him in two places, one on the hip and the other exiting the thigh. It is unclear who was behind the attack. Notably, the incident took place a day before CM Nitish Kumar’s visit to Siwan.
सिवान में हिंदुस्तान अख़बार के पत्रकार राजेश अनल को अपराधियों ने मारी गोली, अस्पताल में चल रहा इलाज. 5 साल पहले भी हुआ था हमला. pic.twitter.com/sBz0cnm4Gw
— Utkarsh Singh (@UtkarshSingh_) January 7, 2023
As per Bihar News Live, the attacker was a thin person and escaped the scene soon after firing shots at Rajesh. The locals rushed him to the hospital. In a statement, Rajesh alleged the attackers wanted to kill him.
Rajesh was reportedly coming back from the market at around 5 PM. Bike-borne criminals fired multiple shots at him near Maharajganj Sahara Bank and fled the scene. Soon after Rajesh was admitted to the hospital, Siwan’s Superintendent of Police, Shailesh Kumar Sinha, reached the hospital to take stock of his condition and asked him not to worry. He assured the journalist that the attackers would not be spared. Speaking to the media, SP Sinha said, “I have told the journalist not to worry and assured him the attackers will be identified and arrested soon.” The Bihar police are conducting raids on the matter.
Rajesh was attacked twice before
Previously, journalist Rajesh has been attacked twice. The first attack took place in 2002 when he was shot. In the second attack that happened in 2020, Rajesh was attacked at the Mahaviri fair, where the criminals stabbed him.
Former Siwan MP Om Prakash Yadav of Bharatiya Janata Party reacted to the incident and demanded resignation from the SP Sinha. He said since Sinha took charge of Siwan, the crime rate has gone up in the area. He further added that if the criminals have killed police officers in broad daylight, then who would protect the journalist? He said, “Ever since Shailesh Kumar Sinha took charge in Siwan, crime has been at its peak. We will demand that as soon as possible, Nitish Kumar should transfer SP Shailesh Kumar Sinha from here, and a good officer should be brought here, so that crime can be stopped.”
In a Facebook post, Yadav said, “I came to know about the critical condition of journalist Rajesh and requested a doctor for proper treatment. Notably, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar is coming to Siwan tomorrow and such an incident happened today. It proves that jungle raj prevailed in the state. The common citizen has lost faith in the Bihar government and administration.”
