A journalist from Uttar Pradesh was attacked and shot at by a gang of people on Monday night. The incident took place around 10.28 pm in Vijay Nagar area of Ghaziabad when the journalist, Vikram Joshi, was riding his two-wheelers along with his two daughters after reportedly visiting his sister’s house.
Vikram, who suffered a bullet injury to his head, is undergoing treatment at a private hospital and is reported to be in critical condition, NDTV reported.
CCTV footage from the area captured the attack, although the faces of the attackers are not visible. In the video that has been released, Vikram can be seen veering his two-wheeler away from a group of people standing in the middle of the road.
Vikram managed to stop the vehicle from falling on the ground. When the gang started attacking him, two children ran away in fear. The men pinned Vikram against a car and started hitting him. Another man then opened fire at Vikram.
One of his daughters then came running towards Vikram when he fell on the ground after he was shot at. She looked terrified and stood helplessly on the road as she tried waking her father up.
Journalist Vikram Goshi is in critical condition after he was shot in the head in #Ghaziabad by men accused of molesting her niece. He had recently filed police complaint against the molester. He was with daughters during the attack. Police ignored his complaint @Uppolice pic.twitter.com/HoAwiCsj3d
— Saurabh Trivedi (@saurabh3vedi) July 21, 2020
It was Vikram’s brother who reportedly alerted the police about the attack.
The police have arrested five people involved in the crime, including the main accused who opened fire.
उक्त सम्बन्ध में #SSP_GZB की वीडियो बाईट। pic.twitter.com/jPk7nSr1wI
— GHAZIABAD POLICE (@ghaziabadpolice) July 21, 2020
The police are reported to have said that all the accused are known to Vikram and his family. Reports said that the officials suspect that the journalist was attacked for complaining to the police about his niece being harassed by a group of men a few days ago. Vikram’s brother said that the journalist was attacked after he filed the police complaint.
Following the incident, the Youth Congress took to Twitter to condemn the incident and demanded the resignation of UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath
“Horror after horror. Enough is enough. Yogi must resign NOW! Journalist Vikram Goshi brutally attacked and shot in the head in Ghaziabad by men accused of molesting his niece. Condition critical. His daughter is seen crying and calling for help. No child deserves this fate,” the tweet read.