Around 9:30 a.m. on May 13, Ashutosh Srivastava, a correspondent with the Hindu right-wing news channel Sudarshan News and a member of the ruling Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party, was shot several times by unknown assailants while riding his motorcycle at an intersection outside the city of Jaunpur, according to news reports. He was declared dead upon arrival at a local hospital, those sources said.
A month earlier, Srivastava had raised concerns about his safety with local police after receiving threats in connection with his reporting on the illegal slaughter of cows and other activities of the land mafia, according to The New Indian Express and a reporter who spoke to CPJ on condition of anonymity, citing fear of reprisals.
Local reporters told CPJ that Srivastava’s reporting on illegal land mafias angered some groups, members of which have allegedly had criminal backgrounds. Srivastava’s brother Santosh Srivastava alleges that the murder was directly tied to his efforts exposing the illegal acquisition of government land, according to a copy of the first information report—a document opening an investigation—reviewed by CPJ.
Srivastava had been vocal about land mafias and animal smuggling in the region, allegedly provoking certain groups. A complaint filed by Santosh Srivastava, his brother and an eyewitness, alleges that Srivastava gave a declaration before dying in which he named individuals that he believed were involved in the conspiracy to have him shot.
Nine individuals—five of them unnamed—have been charged in connection with Srivastava’s murder, according to the first information report.
Three have been arrested, while the shooter was killed in a police encounter, according to a police statement given to CPJ. The remaining are still at large. The police stated that the investigation is ongoing, and efforts are underway to apprehend the remaining suspects. Though a chargesheet has been filed, the case has yet to proceed to trial. CPJ has not reviewed a copy of the chargesheet, but Srivastava’s lawyer, Dinesh Mishra, confirmed that the accused are charged with murder and criminal conspiracy.
CPJ reached out to police authorities in Jaunpur, Uttar Pradesh, who confirmed that a chargesheet has been filed, with the accused charged with murder and criminal conspiracy. However, they denied any connection between the case and Srivastava’s journalistic work.