The Congress on Wednesday attacked the Yogi Adityanath government in Uttar Pradesh over the killing of Ghaziabad-based journalist Vikram Joshi. Former Congress president Rahul Gandhi said the people were promised “Ram Raj” but got “Gundaraj” instead.
Mr. Joshi had filed a complaint with the police alleging harassment of his niece on July 16. He was shot at in the head on Monday night by criminals and died on Wednesday.
“Journalist Vikram Joshi was killed for opposing the molestation of his niece. My condolences to the bereaved family. The promise was of giving ‘Ram Raj’ but gave ‘Gundaraj’,” Mr Gandhi said in a tweet in Hindi.
Journalist shot at in Ghaziabad; 5 held
At a press conference later, Congress spokesperson Supriya Shrinate said there has been a complete collapse of law and order in Uttar Pradesh. “What is perhaps even more prevalent than incidents of crime are the efforts to silence voices that rise against crime. Vikram Joshi reached out to the police who did not act upon his complaint,” Ms. Shrinate said. She pointed out that the assailants had similar criminal charges against them in other police stations too.
Emboldened criminals
Listing out the recent incidents, Ms. Shrinate said, “It is the soft-benevolent attitude towards crime, the attempts to mask criminal data, the political patronage that has been given by the Yogi Adityanath government that has emboldened criminals all across Uttar Pradesh. Instead of acting against criminals, the U.P. government comes down on those in the Opposition who raise their voices against these acts.”
The Congress also questioned Mr. Adityanath’s silence over the recent spate of incidents. “How can he silently preside over the death and collapse of law and order. It is his first and only priority to ensure safety of citizens and if he is incapable of doing so he can simply resign,” Ms. Shrinate said.
