Ghaziabad: Thirty-five-year-old Vikram Joshi succumbed to his bullet wound on Wednesday morning after goons who had allegedly molested his niece shot him in front of his minor daughters in Ghaziabad's Vijay Nagar area.
The situation outside Yashoda Hospital, where the journalist was being treated, was tense with the family refusing to take the body for cremation. They staged a protest outside the hospital, demanding action against the killers.
"It was Vikram's niece's 17th birthday on the day he was shot and he was going home. My brother has died because of the cop who refused to come for help even after he had informed him about the movement of suspicious persons near the house. We demand senior police officers to terminate the cop from his duties," said Aniket Joshi, Vikram's brother.
"Around 4 am, the doctors of the hospital called us and informed us that Vikram is no more. We are in deep shock and demand quick action," he added.
However, later District Magistrate of Ghaziabad, Ajay Shankar Pandey intervened and promised appropriate compensation after which Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath announced a compensation of Rs 10 lakh, a job for his wife and free education for his children.
Meanwhile, the suspended Inspector has told his seniors during questioning that the journalist never asked him to register an FIR and asked only to warn the accused persons. Ravi Kumar Mishra, Circle officer 1st (City), who has been probing the case said both the Sub-Inspector and Vikram knew each other for a long time and the matter is being investigated.
Meanwhile, a group of journalists in Ghaziabad also staged a protest outside the police station and demanded the termination of the SHO of Vijay Nagar police station. They also demanded that the UP government increase the compensation amount for Joshi's family.