9 Booked Over killing Of TV Journalist In His Ghaziabad Residence
Ghaziabad: A Ghaziabad-based journalist was hospitalised after he was shot at by some assailants near his home and nine people have been arrested so far in connection with the case, police said on Tuesday.
The attack comes days after Vikram Joshi, who works with a local daily, lodged a complaint at the local Vijay Nagar police post against some people for harassing his niece on July 16.
Joshi was returning home in Vijay Nagar area with his two daughters on a motorcycle when he was waylaid by over half a dozen armed men at around 10.30 pm on Monday, officials said.
The journalist was shot in the head by one of the accused, who then fled the spot, leaving him severely injured. He was taken to a hospital where he is in a critical condition, they said.
Senior Superintendent of Police, Ghaziabad, Kalanidhi Naithani said nine people, including two of the three named in the FIR, have been arrested while the local police post in-charge was suspended in the wake of the incident.
The FIR was registered under Indian Penal Code sections 307 (attempted murder), 506 (criminal intimidation) and 34 (act done by several people with a common intention) on complaint by Joshi's brother Aniket Joshi, Naithani said.
The FIR had three named suspects Chhotu, Akash Bihari and Ravi besides some unidentified people. Chhotu and Ravi have been arrested, while searches are underway to nab Akash and six police teams are working on the case, he added.
The police have also arrested Mohit, Dalbir, Akash, Yogendra, Abhishek, Abhishek and Shaqir based on evidence in connection with the case, Naithani added.
In his complaint lodged at the Vijay Nagar police post, Joshi had named Chhotu, Ravi and Akash, his family alleged.
The journalist was given a life threat by the accused men, according to the allegations made in the FIR.
The family has alleged inadequate action by the local police post in-charge, who has been suspended with immediate effect considering the gravity of the matter. A departmental inquiry has been ordered and the local Circle Officer will probe the matter, SSP Naithani said.
Meanwhile, Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra attacked the Uttar Pradesh government over the law-and-order situation in the state following the incident.
"Ghaziabad falls in NCR. Going by the state of law and order here, one can get an idea of the situation in the entire state of UP. A journalist was shot at because he complained to the police against molestation of his niece. How will common man feel safe in such a jungle raj," she said in a tweet in Hindi.
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AI, IndiGo, SpiceJet seek ATF price relief; say airline industry on verge of 'stopping operations'
Mumbai (PTI): Air India, IndiGo and SpiceJet have told the government that the country's airline industry is under extreme stress and on the verge of "stopping operations", as they sought revision in ATF pricing and financial support.
The West Asia turmoil has pushed up oil prices, and airspace restrictions have increased airlines' operating costs, especially on long-haul routes. Aviation Turbine Fuel (ATF) accounts for around 40 per cent of a carrier's operational expenses.
Against this backdrop, the Federation of Indian Airlines (FIA) has written to the civil aviation ministry, seeking steps to extend the same fuel pricing mechanism uniformly across both domestic and international operations as was done in the past with the establishment of the crack band.
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With an unprecedented rise in jet fuel prices and exorbitant crack/differential between crude and ATF, the federation said the operation of airlines is being challenged in totality.
"... any ad hoc pricing (domestic vs international) and/or irrational increase in the price of ATF will result in unsurmountable losses for airlines and will lead to grounding of aircraft, resulting in cancellation of flights," the federation, which represents Air India, IndiGo and SpiceJet, said.
"In order to survive, sustain and continue operation, we request your urgent intervention for immediate and meaningful financial support to tide over the current situation," it said in a letter on April 26.
Also, the airlines have sought temporary deferment of excise duty on ATF, which is at 11 per cent.
"With the abnormal increase in ATF prices from the pre-crisis period, adding rupee depreciation to the increased prices, the 11 per cent excise duty also increases manifold for the airlines and adds to the ATF price as a big impact on airlines," they said.
Last month, the government limited the hike in ATF price to Rs 15 per litre for domestic operations, but for international operations, the price rose by Rs 73 per litre.
The airlines said the situation has practically made international operations, along with domestic operations, completely unviable and resulted in significant losses for the aviation sector in April.
Seeking urgent intervention on the current ATF ad hoc pricing, FIA said the current situation is creating a severe imbalance in domestic and international operations and rendering airline networks unviable and unsustainable.
"The airline industry in India is under extreme stress and is on the verge of closing down or of stopping its operations."
The federation has pitched for a transparent pricing framework under the crack band mechanism (USD 12–22/BBL) that was implemented in October 2022, saying there was a fair and reasonable margin for Oil Marketing Companies (OMCs).
According to FIA, the country's largest aviation hub Delhi has the second-highest value-added tax (VAT) of 25 per cent on jet fuel, while the highest rate is 29 per cent levied in Tamil Nadu.
"The other major aviation cities, viz. Mumbai, Bangalore, Hyderabad, and Kolkata range between 16 per cent and 20 per cent. These 6 cities cover more than 50 per cent of airlines' operations within India," the federation said.
