An Indian military killed a local journalist in mysterious circumstances, becoming the third media spokesman killed in less than three months in the country, police stated on Wednesday.
Journalist Sudip Dutta Bhaumik was shot dead on Tuesday at a paramilitary base situated in the small state of Tripura, northeastern India, during an altercation, the authorities have revealed
A soldier opened fire upon the journalist who was writing for a local Bengali newspaper and who traveled in the area to attend a meeting with a senior officer near Agartala, the capital of the state.
“He was killed at the commander’s office by a soldier after they disputed and quarreled on a subject,” said local police commander Abhijit Saptarshi.
The soldier was arrested, arguing the weapon had been discharged during the dispute, a police source said.
The incident took place in the same region where reporter Shantanu Bhowmick was killed at the end of September when he was preparing to talk about a political confrontation.
At the beginning of September, the assassination of renowned journalist Gauri Lankesh, a Hindu nationalist critic, in Bangalore (south) triggered a rebellion in the country.
While trying to enter his home, the journalist was shot by a group of attackers who were riding a motorcycle.
Taking into account the last murder from Tripura, the number of journalists killed in India has reached 43 since the early 1990’s, according to a report conducted by the Committee on the Protection of Journalists.
India is ranked 136th in the world when it comes to press freedom, according to Reporters Without Borders.
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