An Indian journalist who wrote about dubious land deals is in hospital in a critical condition after being tied to a motorcycle and dragged for some 100 metres, reported the Hindustan Times and also by NDTV.
Haider Khan, a stringer for a TV news channel in the Uttar Pradesh district of Pilibhit, told reporters he was phoned on Sunday (13 June) with a tip about an accident.
When he turned up at the location he found himself confronted by four men who beat him, tied him to the motorbike and then dragged him behind it along the street.
The attack came days after another Indian freelance journalist, Jagendra (aka Joginder) Singh, was killed by being set on fire, also in Uttar Pradesh.
Before he succumbed to his injuries on 8 June, he accused two police officers of being responsible and implicated the state’s dairy minister, Ram Murti Singh Yadav.
He had written articles accusing the minister of being involved in illegal mining and land seizures in northern India.
The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) called on the authorities to ensure that both cases are properly investigated.
Sources: Hindustan Times/NDTV/CPJ/The Guardian
