Uttar Pradesh Police have registered an FIR against two men for allegedly shooting at a 25-year-old local journalist after two days of the incident.
Journalist Mannu Awasthi resident of PD Nagar, was allegedly shot at by unidentified assailants on Saturday.
Mannu Awasthi 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, according to statement to police.
The FIR was registered against Anshu Gupta and Deepak Singh at the City police station under sections 147 (rioting), 148 (rioting, armed with deadly weapons), 307 (attempt to murder), 506 (criminal intimidation) of the Indian Penal on the basis of a complaint lodged by the victim’s father.
The FIR, registered on Sunday, also mentions four-five unidentified accomplices.
Surendra Awasthi, the victim’s father, alleged that the pair had threatened his son before the incident as well and he had sought protection.
The victim is undergoing treatment at a hospital in Kanpur and his condition is stated to be out of danger.
The motive behind the attack was not immediately known. The police said all possible angles are being looked into.
Mannu Awasti had submitted a complaint to senior officers, including the Superintendent of Police (Unnao), in March, alleging that he had received threats to his life from suspected land mafia. He also alleged that a BJP MLA was putting pressure on him over a story he had done on the land mafia.
The FIR, however, did not mention any BJP leader.
