A journalist and his brother were shot dead by unidentified assailants in Uttar Pradesh’s Saharanpur on Sunday. According to news agency ANI, the deceased journalist has been identified as Ashish Janwani. He was working for a Hindi daily. He is survived by his pregnant wife and mother.

The incident took place in Madhavnagar area of Saharanpur in the jurisdiction of Kotwali police station. According to multiple media reports, Ashish and his brother were shot dead over a dispute on littering garbage and cattle waste. The attackers barged into Ashish’s home and killed him and his brother.

The neighbours informed the police as soon as they learned about the killings. Police reached the residence of Ashish and are conducting an an investigation.

Senior police officials including DIG Upendra Agarwal and Saharanpur SSP Dinesh Kumar P visited the crime scene to take stock of the situation. Eyewitnesses claim that at least two-three armed men barged into the house of Ashish and opened indiscriminate firing. Ashish and his brother were rushed to a hospital by the locals where they were declared brought dead.

Meanwhile, a heavy contingent of police has been deployed near Ashish’s residence and in the vicinity to keep a check on suspicious movements.


The Uttar Pradesh government has come under severe flak from the opposition parties over rising incidents of crime in the state in the last few days.