UP journalist beaten to death at flour mill where he went to seek ads

A 60-year-old journalist associated with a Hindi newspaper was allegedly beaten to death following an argument at a flour mill in Uttar Pradesh's Hapur on Sunday.

The journalist, Naseem Ahmed, had gone to the mill to seek an advertisement for his newspaper ahead of Diwali, police said, according to media reports. This is a period when regional publications typically chase festive-season ad revenue.

According to police, Ahmed went to the mill with three other people, including two women. A heated argument broke out over some issue and escalated into a physical altercation, they said. Police have not said what the dispute was about.

A murder case has been registered at the Hapur Dehat police station against four persons by name and several unidentified persons. “We have detained three people for questioning in connection with the case,” said Paras Malik, Station House Officer of the Hapur Dehat police station.

The incident was featured at the bottom of page three of the Meerut edition of Janwani. 

The killing again raises questions about the safety of small-town and district-level reporters, many of whom combine newsgathering with advertisement solicitation to sustain their publications and their own livelihoods.