On May 18, 2025, journalist Dharmendra Singh Chauhan, affiliated with Fast News India, was shot in the head near his residence in Luhari Village, Jhajjar District, Haryana, during his routine post-dinner walk. The unidentified gunmen fled the scene immediately after the attack. Local villagers found Mr. Chauhan lying in a pool of blood and promptly transported him to a nearby hospital in Pataudi, but he was later transferred to Ganesh Ji Hospital in Gurugram, where he succumbed to his injuries.

The murder, reported widely in the media, remains unsolved and has raised grave concerns about journalist safety and freedom of the press in Haryana and across India.

HRDA is appealing to the NHRC to take suo moto cognizance of this murder under Section 12(a) of the Protection of Human Rights Amendment Act, 2019. The organisation requests the Commission to launch an independent investigation through the NHRC’s investigation wing and to undertake prompt and impartial action to ensure journalist protections and justice for the victim.