Gunmen have shot dead two journalists in eastern India in separate incidents within 24 hours. They are the latest killings of members of the media in what is Asia's deadliest country for reporters.
Image: Getty Images/AFP/I. Mukherjee
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Two journalists have been murdered in India in separate shootings by unknown gunmen in less than 24 hours, police and media reports said on Saturday.
In the second of the two incidents, which occurred on Friday evening in the state of Bihar, journalist Rajdeo Ranjan, the local bureau chief for the Hindi-language daily "Hindustan," was shot dead by a group of assailants while he was riding his motorcycle.
"He was shot from very close range. We rushed him to a hospital where he was declared dead on arrival last night," the police chief of Siwan district, Saurabh Kumar Sah, told the Agence France-Presse news agency by telephone.
The newspaper "Indian Express" quoted police as saying that Ranjan, 42, was hit by two bullets.
Dangerous profession
In the earlier shooting, television journalist Akhilesh Pratap Singh was also killed while returning home on a motorbike on Thursday. The "Indian Express" said the shooting took place at Dewaria in Chatra district in the state of Jharkhand, which borders on Bihar.
Members of Singh's family and supporters held a protest following the killing, and local journalists demanded that his relatives receive adequate compensation.
The Paris-based organization "Reporters Without Borders" ranked India as Asia's deadliest country for journalists in 2015, and the sixth-deadliest in the world.
Nine journalists were killed in India in 2015, at least five of them while they were carrying out their work, the organization said in a report.
19 citizen journalists killed in 2015
At least 19 netizens, citizen journalists and bloggers were killed in 2015 for online activitsm, according to the media watchdog Reporters Without Borders. Most of these took place in Syria and Bangladesh.
Image: DW/R. Saeed
Syria tops the list
Ten out of a total of 19 citizen journalists and bloggers were murdered in war-torn Syria. Citizen journalist Dirar Moussa al-Jahid was killed on January 1 and the killing spree ended with Jumua al-Ahmed, who died on October 27.
Image: Getty Images/AFP/J. Lawler
IS critic beheaded in Turkey
Syrian citizen journalist Ibrahim Abd al-Qader, known for campaigning against the "Islamic State" in Syria, was shot and beheaded on October 30 in Turkey. Al-Qader’s friend and fellow citizen journalist, Naji al-Jerf, was killed on December 27 in southern Turkey for his work, according to Johann Bihr, the head of RSF's Eastern Europe and Central Asia desk.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa
Citizen journalist killed by 'Islamic State'
Iraqi citizen journalist Zuhair Kinan al-Nahass was executed on August 9 by militants of the "Islamic State" (IS) for publishing an image of a burned-out IS car targeted by an international coalition missile in Mosul. Rights groups said that the picture, which he took from inside his house, went viral soon after it was posted on the internet.
Image: Getty Images/AFP/T. Mustafa
Bloggers hacked to death in Bangladesh
Four atheist bloggers were hacked to death this year in Bangladesh for their writings against religious fundamentalism. Avijit Roy, a US blogger of Bangladeshi origin, was killed on February 26. Three other bloggers, Washiqur Rahman Babu, Niloy Neel and Ananta Bijoy Das were killed in similar attacks.
Image: Getty Images/AFP/M. Uz Zaman
Blogger beheaded in Brazil
Brazilian blogger Evany José Metzkerwas was killed on May 18. He was tortured, scalped and then beheaded by unknown assailants, local media said. Metzkerwas was investigating child prostitution cases in the South American country.
Image: Facebook
Peace activist killed in Pakistan
Online activist Sabeen Mahmud was killed in Karachi, the capital of the Sindh province of Pakistan, on April 24. She was shot by a gunman while driving in the city. Mahmud was a critic of Pakistan's army and its human rights violations in Balochistan.
Image: DW/R. Saeed
Nine more killed for 'unclear' reasons
Nine other netizens and citizen journalists were killed this year for unclear reasons, Reporters Without Borders said. According to the Paris-based media watchdog, 67 professional journalists were killed in 2015 for their work. New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists has put the figure at 69.
