Journalist shot dead after being hit by vehicle on Lucknow-Delhi Highway in Sitapur
Sitapur: A journalist and RTI activist, Raghavendra Bajpai, was shot dead on the Lucknow-Delhi National Highway in Sitapur on Saturday afternoon. The 35-year-old, who worked as a correspondent for a Hindi daily, was reportedly targeted in a planned attack.
Attack details
According to police sources, the assailants first rammed into Bajpai’s bike before shooting him three times. Initially, the incident was believed to be an accident, but doctors at the district hospital later found bullet wounds on his body, confirming it as a case of murder.
Bajpai had left home around noon after receiving a phone call. The attack took place at approximately 3:15 pm, and he died on the spot.
Investigation underway
Sitapur Police stated that a case has been registered based on a complaint from the victim’s family. "Three teams have been formed to track and arrest the accused," ASP South said in a video statement.
The motive behind the murder is yet to be established. Police are reviewing Bajpai’s call records and other evidence. The incident has sparked outrage among local journalists, who are demanding a thorough investigation and immediate action against the perpetrators.
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Trump pauses Project Freedom, claims great progress for final agreement with Iran
Washington (PTI): President Donald Trump has suspended “Project Freedom,” to escort ships through the Strait of Hormuz, claiming progress in negotiations with Iran toward an agreement to end the war.
In a post on Truth Social on Tuesday, Trump said, “Great progress has been made toward a complete and final agreement with representatives of Iran.”
“Based on the request of Pakistan and other Countries, the tremendous Military Success that we have had during the Campaign against the Country of Iran and, additionally, the fact that Great Progress has been made toward a Complete and Final Agreement with Representatives of Iran, we have mutually agreed that, while the Blockade will remain in full force and effect, Project Freedom (The Movement of Ships through the Strait of Hormuz) will be paused for a short period of time to see whether or not the Agreement can be finalized and signed," Trump said.
Project Freedom was launched on Monday to escort ships, stranded due to the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, out to safety. Trump had announced the operation on Sunday and the US Central Command began implementing it the next day.
However, the Project led to friction in the vicinity of the narrow seaway, a key route for transporting one-fifth of the global oil supplies, with the UAE claiming that its ships were attacked by Iran. The US also claimed to have destroyed several Iranian small boats.
Trump’s statement on Truth Social came hours after US Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced that Operation Epic Fury, launched on February 28, had concluded as its objectives have been achieved.
"Operation Epic Fury is concluded. We achieved the objectives of that operation. We're not cheering for an additional situation to occur. We would prefer the path of peace. What @POTUS would prefer is a deal... that is, so far, not the route that Iran has chosen," Rubio told a press conference at the White House on Tuesday.
On Project Freedom, Rubio said the goal was to rescue almost 23,000 civilians from 87 different countries who were trapped inside the Persian Gulf and left for dead by the Iranian regime.
"This is not an offensive operation. This is a defensive operation, and what that means is very simple: there’s no shooting unless we're shot at first. We’re not attacking them, but if they're attacking us or they’re attacking a ship, you need to respond to that," Rubio said.
