Bike-borne attackers shot Bihar-based journalist Pankaj Mishra in Arwal on Thursday before allegedly robbing him of his cash and laptop. He is undergoing treatment at a local hospital. One of the accused, identified as Kundan Mahto, has been arrested, NDTV reported. Police are searching for the second accused, Ambika Mahto.

Mishra is in a stable condition, police said. “A case of armed robbery and attempt to murder has been registered,” Superintendent of Police (Arwal) of Bihar Police Dilip Kumar Mishra told Scroll.in. “The victim is out of danger. We are yet to recover the robbed cash and computer.”

Mishra is a freelance journalist who contributes articles to the Hindi daily Rashtriya Sahara. He is a resident of Banshi village in Arwal district and also the director of a Grahak Sewa Kendra (customer help centre) of a nationalised bank in his village. On Thursday afternoon, Mishra was heading back to Banshi from Mali with a collection of around Rs 1 lakh cash, when he was intercepted and attacked by two men, police said.

During the interrogation, it emerged that Kundan’s father worked as a personal assistant to Kurda MLA Satyadev Kushwaha, police said.

The incident comes two days after gunmen shot down senior journalist Gauri Lankesh in her Bengaluru home on Tuesday. Nationwide protests erupted over the last two days condemning her murder and calling on authorities to catch and punish the perpetrators.

Lankesh was a vocal critic of right-wing Hindutva forces and she had received several death threats during her career.