Satyendra Gangwar, a journalist, was assaulted and shot at by Aman Jaiswal and his aide on June 24 in Uttar Pradesh’s Bisalpur. The Times of India reported that a first information report (FIR) was filed by Gangwar’s brother, Jitendra.

Jaiswal had allegedly fired at Satyendra near the railway station, hitting the journalist in the left leg and lower back, Times of India reported.

Jitendra was quoted by Times of India as telling the Pilibhit superintendent of police (SP) Balendu Bhushan Singh, “Jaiswal is a part of the mining mafia, who grabs contracts for the food department’s procurement centres in the district during the Rabi and Kharif seasons every year. He is extremely well-connected politically. In order to appease ministers and MLAs, he extorts money from rice millers.”

Jitendra added that his brother, Satyendra, had been reporting on the various illegal activities of Jaiswal. Earlier, on March 22, Jaiswal along with five of his men had assaulted Satyendra with sticks and edged weapons when the journalist had gone to cover a dispute between Jaiswal and another person, the brother claimed, adding that on that occasion, too, his brother was fired at but Jaiwal missed his mark.

The Times of India report states that the police had filed an FIR against the six accused under Section 307 (attempt to murder) of the Indian Penal Code in that case. “Three of the accused had been arrested; Jaiswal had allegedly been putting pressure on Satyendra to withdraw the FIR,” the report states.

Another FIR has been lodged against Jaiswal and an unidentified person under Section 307 of IPC after the Sunday incident, TOI quoted Madho Singh Visht, station house officer of Bisalpur Kotwali police station, as saying.

A 28-member delegation of local media persons met the SP on Monday, June 25, demanding Jaiswal’s immediate arrest.