LUCKNOW: A 36-year-old RTI activist and reporter for a Hindi daily, Raghvendra Bajpai, was shot dead in broad daylight in Sitapur on Saturday. The motorcycle-borne assailants rammed Bajpai’s bike, forcing him to fall. As he hit the ground, they fired three rounds at him before fleeing the scene, police said.
Bajpai was taken to hospital where doctors declared him dead. Police said he had been shot in the chest and shoulder, and one bullet was later found lodged in his clothing. Sitapur SP Chakresh Mishra said the attack took place near Hempur railway crossing on the Lucknow-Delhi national highwayat around 3 pm.
Police sources said Bajpai received a phone call just before he left his house on his motorcycle. Shortly after, news of the fatal shooting emerged. Family members claimed that Bajpai had received death threats 10 days earlier due to some reports he had filed; however, cops did not confirm this. It was yet to be confirmed whether he had informed police about the threat.Bajpai’s family, including his wife, eight-year-old daughter and 10-year-old son rushed to the hospital on hearing the news, devastated by the tragedy.