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Mannu Awasthi, aged 25 years, is a journalist who operates independently. About 3 months ago, he had publicly complained that he had been receiving threats from members of a land mafia group.
On Saturday, 24th June, he was shot in the late hours of the night. He had been driving a scooter when the shooting happened. He sustained injuries to his left shoulder and was rushed to the local hospital. The shooters are unidentified.
When Was he Shot?
The shooting occurred at around 10 P.M. Mannu Awasthi was riding on a scooter near the Kotwal in Uttar Pradesh. The shooters were unidentified. However, the police officers have recovered bullet cartridges from the reported crime scene. The scooter he was said to be riding was also found at the same spot. The scooter was found with a lock on it. The bullet cartridges found included both live and used ones.
After sustaining injuries to his shoulder, the journalist was taken to a local hospital. He was referred to another hospital in Kanpur later on. He was unconscious until the following morning, and is now said to be in a stable condition and out of danger.
After the incident, the ASP of Unnao, who is investigating the case, said that the “strictest action” would be ensured. However, they were waiting for an official complaint from the journalist’s family with regard to this attack.
Alleged Threats in March
Back in March, Mannu Awasthi had filed a complaint to the police station in Unnao, about some death threats he had received from a land mafia gang. At that point, 4 people had been identified with regard to his complaint.
Later, he publicly announced his situation through a video he released. He informed the public that the death threats had come to him in the wake of a story he’d covered about a certain attack on a Bharatiya Janata Party leader in the area. He also complained that he was being followed and harassed by members of the same gang.
When submitting his complaint to the police station in Unnao, Uttar Pradesh, he named 4 people who he thought were the ones issuing threats to him and his family. At the time, he also said that any danger to befall him or his family members would likely be attributed to these four names.
In response to his complaints, the police station was supposedly providing him with security arrangements. However, no officers were present with Mannu Awasthi at the time of the shooting incident.
Safety for Reporters
This attack is one of the many others worldwide that invites the important question of safety for journalists. Journalists covering stories about sensitive topics, such as the attack on a political leader’s house in this case, commonly face threats from organizations, gangs and sometimes even governments.
There was another incident of a journalist being shot in Uttar Pradesh in the near past. This attack occurred in the Jaunpur area of the state back in February. Uttar Pradesh is known to be one of the most criminally active states in India.
It is undoubtedly required to report accurate information to the public, but while doing so, steps have to be taken by democratic governments to ensure the safety of the journalists who cover such stories. Safety for journalists has been an issue for a very long time now.
