Three months after a journalist in Uttar Pradesh’s Unnao district said he was being threatened by members of the land mafia, he was injured in a suspected shooting incident on Saturday night. On Sunday morning, he was said to be in stable condition. Mannu Awasthi (25) was riding his scooter in an area under the Kotwal police station limits at around 10 pm when the incident took place. He was taken to the district hospital with injuries on his right shoulder. From there, he was referred to a hospital in Kanpur. Police have recovered bullet cartridges from the scene of the incident. Speaking to reporters on Saturday night, Unnao Additional Superintendent of Police (ASP) Shashi Shekhar Singh said, “A journalist was shot at. From the crime scene, we have recovered a live cartridge and a used one. Mannu’s scooter is also here. It is locked. We haven’t received a complaint. Mannu Awasthi has been referred to Lala Lajpat Rai Hospital (Hallett Hospital in Kanpur). We will take the strictest action.” On Sunday afternoon, police officers expressed doubts about whether Awasthi had sustained a bullet injury. “When the said incident happened on Saturday night, he didn’t inform the police. He was seen going to the hospital on a scooter with his friend, and we have CCTV footage of that. When we spoke to the doctor, he also wasn’t sure about the kind of wound he has. The doctors haven’t given a final opinion, but they aren’t sure if he was hit by a bullet,” said Unnao Superintendent of Police (SP) Siddharth Shankar Meena. He added, “The cartridge that was recovered (from the crime scene) doesn’t match the injury. It seems like an injury caused by a pellet, but we have found a different cartridge from the crime scene. There are some things that need to be probed.” In March, Awasthi had submitted a complaint to the Unnao SP and other senior officers, saying there was a threat to his life by four members of the land mafia. After submitting the complaint, he had released a video in which he said he was being threatened over a news report he did regarding an attack on a BJP leader’s house. “After I covered the news, I started getting threats on my life. I am being followed by unknown cars with no registration numbers. People are abusing me outside my house. I have submitted a complaint to the Unnao SP,” he said in the video, in which he also claimed the land mafia members threatening him were history sheeters. “I am being threatened on the phone… If I am attacked or anyone from my family is, these people will be responsible,” he had said. In another video, Awasthi also said that a sitting MLA was among those who put pressure on him “because I had done a story on the land mafia”. The MLA could not be reached for comment despite repeated text messages and attempts to call him. Regarding the complaint that Awasthi filed in March, the Unnao SP said, “He had claimed someone had threatened him, and an FIR was also lodged on his complaint. Later, he said that policemen in his security were harassing him, so his security cover was withdrawn.” The Samajwadi Party and the Congress criticised the BJP over Saturday night’s incident. Samajwadi Party leader Akhilesh Yadav said on Sunday, “A young journalist from Unnao had come for my press conference and had said that if he is not given security, he may be killed by BJP people. We are seeing that happen. And last night, he was shot at. A journalist can be shot? You want to usurp land. Is this not worse than the Emergency?” Taking to Twitter, the Congress’s UP unit said, “In Unnao, journalist Mannu Awasthi is shot at. Sources said this was done because he was writing against criminals under the patronage of the BJP. Sources also said that the journalist had raised doubts about his safety during a press conference with Akhilesh Yadav. Under BJP rule, if someone wants to write against their goons, their life will be in danger.” Contacted by The Indian Express, BJP state spokesperson Rakesh Tripathi said that the law would take its course and further action in the case would be taken based on investigation. “If someone is found involved in something which is against the law, that person will face action. A probe will be done and accordingly, action will be taken. No one, despite their caste, religion or association with a party, will be treated differently by the law,” he said. According to Unnao SP Meena, Awasthi was not associated with any organisation, but “is the admin of a WhatsApp group where he shares news”. “He has a case lodged against him under IPC section 376 (rape) where a woman has alleged that he raped her at her house. He has another cheating case (against him), too. The probe in the rape case is ongoing and the statement of the woman was taken in front of a magistrate a couple of days ago. The investigating officer said that the woman had given a statement against the journalist,” Meena said. The rape case against Awasthi was lodged on May 3 and the cheating case on May 4.
