Senior journalist Rajdeo Ranjan shot dead in Bihar

Ranjan, the Siwan Bureau Chief of Hindi Daily Hindustan, had no personal enmity with anyone, said his colleagues

A senior journalist was murdered in Bihar’s Siwan district on Friday evening. Rajdeo Ranjan, the Siwan Bureau Chief of Hindi Daily Hindustan, was shot dead in Bihar’s Siwan district on Friday evening near Railway station.  

According to the police sources, five motorcycle-borne criminals were waiting for Ranjan, who was walking down the road to his home. They shot him twice from the close range, one of the bullets hit him on the head and another on the neck. He was immediately taken to the hospital, where he was declared “brought dead”.

  

The motive behind the incident is unclear, as his colleagues said Ranjan had no personal enmity with anyone.

Siwan is the stronghold of former RJD MP Mohammad Shahabuddin, who is serving a life term in jail for the abduction and murder of two people in 2004. He still exerts considerable influence in the area. 

Reacting to the murder of the scribe in Siwan, BJP leader Shahnawaz Hussain said while Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar is touring Varanasi, the fourth estate is "in danger" in his state.

"This is not jungle raj. This is maha jungle raj...Sad to know about his killing, Rajdeo was a fearless journalist," he tweeted.