Ghaziabad journalist critical, FIR filed against ‘rivals’

The medical condition of television journalist Anuj Chaudhary continued to be critical the day after he was shot at by unidentified men outside his house at Razapur in Ghaziabad. He sustained three bullet injuries in the attack on Sunday evening.

According to the family and police, the incident was the result of an old rivalry with neighbours.

The spokesperson for the Yashoda Hospital at Nehru Nagar said that the victim suffered multiple internal injuries and continues to be on ventilator and life support system. Chaudhary was walking along with some men in his locality when several men on motorcycles arrived and fired shots at him before fleeing on Sunday evening. A bullet also struck and injured a labourer at the scene. The family and police said that the incident was perpetrated by an old rival who is presently in jail.

“One bullet that was lodged in one arm was retrieved while the other in the other arm and one more in the abdomen left his body after he was hit. A surgery was performed on him and he is currently in the ICU. The next 5-6 days are critical as the blood pressure is fluctuating and his intestines have suffered damage along with the blood vessels,” Gaurav Pandey, spokesperson for Yashoda Hospital, Nehru Nagar, said.

He added that three types of surgeries were conducted after Anuj was brought to the hospital following the incident.

On Monday, aggrieved journalists in Ghaziabad staged a protest outside the district police office and demanded immediate arrest of the accused and suspension of the station house officer of Kavi Nagar police station. A memorandum was also handed over to the district magistrate.

They said that Chaudhary had complained to the police about threat to his life and ₹10 lakh contract money allegedly given for his murder, but the SHO did not act.

“We are probing the allegations and an inquiry is being conducted. We are in the process of tracing the culprits and have set up four teams for this purpose. Two superintendents of police and two circle officers are heading the teams which are trying to nab relatives of Shekhar, whose family members have been named in the FIR filed by victim’s family. None of Sekhar’s family members are present at their homes,” Vaibhav Krishna, senior superintendent of police (SSP), Ghaziabad, said.

Read I Ghaziabad-based journalist shot at, family suspects jailed goon’s men

The police said that the FIR has reference to Shekhar and eight of his family members. They said that Shekhar had an old rivalry with the victim and had also murdered latter’s brother over a decade ago. Shekhar is lodged in jail since being arrested in connection with the August 11 attack on BJP leader Brijpal Teotia. Shekhar was accused of providing cartridges to shooters who had fired nearly 56 rounds on Teotia. However, he survived. The assailants were later arrested. They had used an AK-47 during the attempt on the BJP leader’s life.

Chaudhary’s wife Nisha recently got elected as councillor from Rajapur on a Bahujan Samaj Party ticket, but her contender, Shekhar’s daughter in law, suffered defeat.

During the attack, Chaudhary had given a leave to his police gunner and also could not use his licensed revolver.