Noida Media Club writes to UP CM over killing of Ghaziabad journalist

The Noida Media Club, an umbrella body of journalists, has written to Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, urging inquiry into the alleged inaction by the local police on previous complaints of Joshi against the men accused of killing him. The state government earlier in the day announced Rs 10 lakh financial assistance to the family, a job to his wife as per her qualification and free education for his two daughters.

Journalists in Noida on Wednesday demanded that the culprits who killed their colleague Vikram Joshi be tried in a fast track court and his family be given a financial assistance of Rs 1 crore. The Noida Media Club, an umbrella body of journalists, has written to Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, urging inquiry into the alleged inaction by the local police on previous complaints of Joshi against the men accused of killing him.

The state government earlier in the day announced Rs 10 lakh financial assistance to the family, a job to his wife as per her qualification and free education for his two daughters. "Noida Media Club, as an association of the Delhi-NCR based journalists condemns this brutal attack and requests the government to take preventive steps to ensure protection to all media persons working in the state," it said in a statement.

"We also demand that the state government should provide a financial assistance of Rs 1 crore and a government job to the family of the deceased journalist Vikram Joshi. The state government has announced Rs 10 lakh assistance that is not adequate for the victim's family," the statement said. Noida Media Club president Pankaj Parashar said the association has also demanded "strong action" against the criminals involved in this "heinous crime and the police that did not act on time even after the complaint". "We want his case to be tried in a fast track court, and action to be taken against the policemen who are found guilty of not paying heeds to Joshi's complaints in the past," Parashar said. Joshi, who was around 35 years and worked for a Ghaziabad-based Hindi daily, was shot in the head on Monday night around 10.30 pm in Pratap Vihar area when he was returning home on a motorcycle with his two daughters. He was waylaid by some armed men, one of whom shot Joshi in the head. He succumbed to the injuries at a private hospital in Ghaziabad on Wednesday morning.

Nine accused have been arrested so far while the local police post incharge has been suspended in connection with the case, according to Ghaziabad police..