Scribe shot in head in front of daughters

Ghaziabad: A 35-year-old journalist was shot in his head in front of his two daughters on a busy road in Vijay Nagar area of Ghaziabad on Monday night after local police refused to register an FIR against the assailants for allegedly molesting his niece. The scribe, identified as Vikram Joshi of a local Hindi daily, was admitted to the ICU of Yashoda Hospital, where his condition remains critical.

The police said they have arrested nine people in the case, adding that Joshi had earlier tried to get an FIR registered against the accused for molesting his niece. Kalanidhi Naithani, Senior Superintendent of Police in Ghaziabad, has suspended the Chowki in-charge of Pratap Vihar police post for not acting on Joshi's complaint.

Joshi was on his way back home from his sister's residence in Mata Colony with his minor daughters when around five to six men assaulted him and opened fire at him. CCTV footage of the incident made public on Tuesday showed one of his daughters shouting and running for help as he fell on the road — unconscious.

"The patient was admitted at Yashoda Hospital around 11:30 pm with a gunshot injury in the head. The bullet has been pulled out but his condition is very critical due to brain hemorrhage," said Dr Atul Gupta, a neurosurgeon in Yashoda Hospital.

SSP Naithani said all nine arrested in the case were residents of Vijay Nagar and that main accused Ravi had "confessed to having attacked Joshi along with his accomplices". He added that an attempt to murder case has been registered against the accused.