LUCKNOW, March 10 -- A day after the murder of a journalist in Sitapur, the police on Sunday took eight people, including four lekhpals, into custody for interrogation based on the suspicion raised by the family members of the deceased.

The development came on a day of protests, allegations and visits by politicians to the residence of Raghvendra Bajpai, 36, the journalist with a national Hindi daily and Right to Information (RTI) activist.

Lekhpal Sangh president Anish Dwivedi is among those taken into custody.

The journalists' associations in Sitapur, Shahjahanpur, Bareilly, Sultanpur, Bahraich and Barabanki districts on Sunday staged protests against the killing of the scribe in broad daylight on Saturday.

Bhartiya Janata Party (BJ...