Bid To Abduct Journalist Fails

Unidentified gunmen made an unsuccessful attempt to kidnap the editor of a local daily here yesterday..

Police sources said three pistol-borne youths entered the office of local Urdu daily, Wadi ki Awaz and attempted to kidnap its proprietor-cum-editor, G.N. Shaida at press enclave, Pratap Park in the heart of the city last morning.

The youths initially asked Shaida to accompany them to a press conference they were holding, police said without identifying the outfit.

When Shaida told them he would depute his correspondent to cover the event, they tried to force Shaida to accompany them. However, Shaida resisted their attempt. They ransacked the office besides manhandling the editor and fled the scene as someone from the adjacent house knocked the door repeatedly.

When contacted, Saida said he was re-born yesterday. He said police reached the scene after the youth had left. Journalists in the state while condemning the incident demanded a probe into it.