According to reports, the 24-year-old reporter for India’s Zee News TV died when the vehicle he was travelling in collided with stray cattle and went off the road on the Kaithal-Chandigarh highway in Barwala, India. Three other people — reporter Rohit Khanna, cameraman Jaiveer Rawat and the driver — also sustained injuries.
They all were rushed to Indira Gandhi Mulitispeciality General Hospital where Bhatt was declared dead on arrival. The other people in the vehicle are in hospital in a stable condition. Bhatt was on assignment and was covering the arrest of controversial Indian preacher Rampal, who was arrested in connection to a 2006 murder case, when the incident took place. The Haryana government has expressed grief and announced a compensation of IRs 500,000 for the kin of the journalist. Bhatt is survived by his parents and a brother.