Indian journalist dies of injuries nine days after bombing

New York, July 21, 2010—The Committee to Protect Journalists joins with our colleagues in India to express our support and condolences to the family of Vijay Pratap Singh, the 36-year-old senior correspondent of the daily Indian Express, who died Tuesday from injuries he received in a bombing on July 12.

“The death of Vijay Singh underscores the danger journalists face as they pursue their profession, even in the seemingly safe environs of an interview with a government official,” said Bob Dietz, CPJ’s Asia program coordinator. “We urge the authorities to bring the perpetrators to justice swiftly.

News reports in India said Singh had been injured in an explosion while interviewing Minister for Institutional Finance, Stamp, and Judicial Tax Nand Gopal Gupta in Allahabad, in Uttar Pradesh. Explosives were reportedly concealed in a moped parked outside Gupta’s house. The blast initially killed one person and injured seven others, including Singh and Gupta, who is still hospitalized, according to news reports.

Some Indian media outlets have reported that police in Uttar Pradesh have arrested two members of the local democratic socialist Samajwadi Party for their alleged involvement in the bomb attack. The motive was allegedly political and business rivalries.

Singh is survived by his wife, Shashi, 5-year-old son Yash, and 10-month-old daughter Adya.