State: Uttar Pradesh
Year: 2025
Date: March 8, 2025
Source:
Killings – Journalists
Reportedly, the incident happened when the assailants first rammed into his bike and then shot him three times. It was first seen as an accident but was soon turned into a murder case after doctors at a district hospital discovered three bullet wounds on his body.
A local journalist and RTI activist was shot dead on the Lucknow-Delhi National Highway in Uttar Pradesh’s Sitapur on Saturday. The victim, Raghavendra Bajpai, was a local correspondent of a Hindi Daily in Uttar Pradesh.
Reportedly, the incident happened when the assailants first rammed into his bike and then shot him three times. It was first seen as an accident but was soon turned into a murder case after doctors at a district hospital discovered three bullet wounds on his body.
Updated On: April 10, 2025
Temple priest hired shooters to kill journalist in UP’s Sitapur, say police
A temple priest and his two associates were arrested on Thursday in connection with the murder of Raghvendra Bajpai, a journalist working with a Hindi daily, who was shot dead in the Maholi area of Uttar Pradesh’s Sitapur district on March 8, police said.
The priest, Vikas Rathore, alias Shivanand, gave Rs 4 lakh contract money to his acquaintances Nirmal Singh and Aslam Ghazi for eliminating Bajpai after he was spotted by the journalist sexually abusing a minor boy on the temple premises, Sitapur Superintendent of Police (SP) Chakresh Mishra claimed.
Nirmal and Aslam, both residents of the district, in turn hired two shooters for the job, the SP added.
The shooters, who have been identified, are absconding and efforts are on to arrest them, the SP said, adding that the two are hardcore criminals and have been jailed multiple times earlier.
Updated On: August 7, 2025
Brother shooters wanted for murder of Sitapur journalist killed in encounter: UP Police
The Uttar Pradesh Police said that two alleged shooters involved in the murder of Dainik Jagran journalist Raghavendra Bajpai in March this year were killed in an encounter in the Pisawa area of Sitapur district early Thursday morning.
Brothers Raju Tiwari alias Rizwan Khan and Sanjay Tiwari alias Shakeel Khan were wanted in several criminal cases and carried a bounty of Rs 1 lakh each, said the Special Task Force (STF) of Noida Police, which carried out the operation with the help of Sitapur Police.
“The two were wanted for the murder of Raghavendra Bajpai, a correspondent with Dainik Jagran, in Sitapur in March this year. On Thursday morning, we received information that Raju alias Rizwan and Sanjay alias Shakeel were on their way to their Sitapur home on a motorbike from Pihani village in Hardoi district. They were intercepted in Pisawa in Sitapur district. When told to stop, they opened fire. In response, we fired back, and both of them were shot. We took them to CHC Pisawa. They were later referred to Sitapur District Hospital, where they succumbed to their injuries,” said a senior police officer in Noida STF.