The Unnao Journalist Mannu Awasthi was reportedly shot months after reporting threats from the land mafia

Three months after he allegedly got threats from land mafia members, a journalist in Uttar Pradesh’s Unnao district was hurt in a shooting-related event. The journalist Mannu Awasthi was discovered on Saturday night with critical injuries close to the Kotwal police station boundaries. He was subsequently described as being in stable condition.

The journalist’s family has filed a complaint, saying that Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) members shot him, which has generated a political storm. Leaders of the opposition have urged an exhaustive probe into the situation.

Around 10:25 p.m., Awasthi, who worked for a local daily, was shot at while riding his scooter through a neighbourhood within the Kotwal police station’s boundaries. He was originally rushed to the neighbourhood hospital after suffering injuries to his right shoulder. He was eventually sent to Hallett Hospital in Kanpur, where he underwent treatment due to the seriousness of his condition. Police officers removed bullet cartridges from the site.

At the city police station, a FIR was filed against Anshu Gupta and Deepak Singh as a result of the incident. Charges of rioting, armed rioting, attempted murder, and criminal intimidation are included in the FIR. The complaint was made by the victim’s father. Police are presently looking into the situation, and depending on their findings, they will decide what legal action to take.

Awasthi reported threats against his life to the neighbourhood police station in March of this year after uncovering irregularities in land mining. He identified four members of the land mafia in his written complaint, saying he was concerned for their safety and that they would be held accountable if something bad happened to him or his family. Additionally, he made a video in which he claimed that a current MLA had pressured him to withhold information about an assault on the home of a BJP politician.

Akhilesh Yadav, the head of the Samajwadi Party, questioned the safety of journalists and charged the BJP of encouraging a culture of violence as a result of the event, drawing condemnation from opposition parties. The journalist’s safety was also questioned by the UP branch of the Congress, which said that the event was brought on by the journalist’s coverage of BJP-affiliated criminals.

It is important to note that Awasthi was charged with rape and cheating in May, one month after he reported the land mafia. The lady who was raped has given a magistrate her testimony, and the rape case is still under investigation.