Opposition parties in Uttar Pradesh on Saturday slammed the Samajwadi Party government for failing to protect journalists, following the murder of a Hindi journalist in Sultanpur.
Leaders cutting across party lines condemned the incident and urged Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav to ensure that the fourth pillar of democracy was protected from criminals.
The incident "was not only sad but a blot on democracy", Sultanpur Lok Sabha member Varun Gandhi told IANS.
Bahujan Samaj Party leader Swamy Prasad Maurya, expressing his condolences over the killing of journalist Karun Mishra, said their allegations of "jungleraaj" in the state were sadly being proved true.
"We have always been saying that no one is safe in the Samajwadi Party regime, and now for the past one year, even journalists are being brazenly attacked and killed," he said.
Congress leaders also condemned the incident and called for immediate arrest of the culprits.
