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Bihar journalist of Dainik Jagaran shot dead at his residence in Araria district at 5.30am on Friday. Investigation underway, one arrested, hunt on for the other three assailants.

Bihar News: A journalist of a Hindi daily, Vimal Kumar Yadav, was shot dead at his residence in Araria district of Bihar early on Friday. The assailants had knocked on Yadav's door at 5.30 am in the morning, and when he opened the door, the criminals shot at him, according to media reports. Vimal Kumar Yadav (35), who worked for a Hindi daily Dainik Jagaraan, was killed at his residence in Premnagar village. Yadav died on the spot, where the district police chief and the SHO of Raniganj, the police station concerned, rushed upon hearing the news. According to a report by The Hindu, one arrest has been made and the hunt is on to nab the other three. "The assailants knocked at the gates of Yadav's house around 5.30 am and opened fire as soon as he opened the gates," the Bihar Police tweeted. Bihar Chief Minister and Janata Dal (United) (JDU) leader Nitish Kumar has also taken stock of the situation and said, "I felt really sad and immediately asked officials concerned to look into the incident". "The matter is being probed and the culprits will be brought to book," asserted CM Nitish Kumar. Bihar's deputy chief minister Tejaswi Yadav also said, “The CM has given the instruction related to the incident. BJP is only doing the job of tarnishing the state's image. As per NCRB, Delhi has the worst record for crime including murder, kidnapping, and looting. There the police is under Union Home ministry".

Bihar Police informed that the body has been sent for post mortem and further investigation is underway. "The body has been sent for post-mortem examination. An investigation is underway. Forensic experts and the dog squad have been called in. The deceased was said to be involved in an old dispute with a neighbour. All angles are being probed into," said Ashok Kumar Singh, the Superintendent of Police for Araria.

Opposition accuses government

The Opposition in Bihar took the opportunity to lash out at the Nitish Kumar Government. They claimed that the incident showed "democracy is in danger in Bihar".

"Criminals are roaming freely while innocent citizens, including journalists, and even police personnel are being killed in Bihar," alleged state BJP president Samrat Choudhary.

Former Lok Janshakti Party president Chirag Paswan, who has realigned with the BJP-led NDA, said, "Nitish Kumar and his allies keep shouting that democracy is under attack in Bihar. But they are unable to protect the fourth estate."

Journalists Protest in Bihar

Members of the Bihar Working Journalists Union on Friday staged a protest in Patna over the murder of a journalist in the Araria district. They asked the state government to ensure the safety of journalists across the state.

(With agency inputs)