According to authorities, the body of journalist and YouTuber Mukesh Chandrakar, 33, who had been reported missing, was discovered in a septic tank on a contractor’s premises in Bijapur, Chhattisgarh, on Friday
A number of individuals have been arrested for interrogation in connection with the filing of a murder case. The body of Mukesh Chandrakar was found in a recently concrete-sealed septic tank.
Who is Mukesh Chandrakar as Bastar, Chhattisgarh Journalist is found dead in Bijapur after his video on contractor Suresh Chandrakar’s scam on his YouTube channel
Mukesh Chandrakar was last seen on January 1st evening. The next day, his older brother, journalist Yukesh Chandrakar, reported him missing to the authorities. Police used mobile tracking to find Mukesh’s body on contractor Suresh Chandrakar’s premises in Chattanpara Basti.
Journalist Mukesh Chandrakar kiIIed in Chhattisgarh
Mukesh reported on the poor quality of a road worth ₹120 crore. His report led to an investigation against the contractor, Suresh Chandrakar.
Two days ago, the contractor's brother, Naresh, called Mukesh for a meeting.… pic.twitter.com/AidPpsVLGB
— زماں (@Delhiite_) January 3, 2025
A recent article that Mukesh had covered on purported irregularities in the building of a road from Gangaloor to Nelasanar hamlet was brought up in Yukesh’s complaint. Yukesh said that three people, including contractor Suresh Chandrakar, had threatened him, and the report spurred an investigation into the project.
Police have arrested three suspects, including Ritesh, and another family member, Dinesh Chandrakar but Suresh, the contractor at the centre of the corruption scandal, remains at large.
The key accused in the murder of the Chhattisgarh journalist, whose body was recovered from a septic tank, has been identified as his own cousin as Ritesh Chandrakar was among three arrested for the murder of Mukesh Chandrakar.
The post-mortem report is still pending, according to a police statement released on Friday. Jitendra Yadav, the superintendent of police in Bijapur, told the reporters that workers were housed and playing badminton in the enclosure where the body was found.
He did, however, state that the inquiry is still in its early phases and did not elaborate on any suspects or the reason behind the murder.
Mukesh Chandrakar, a reporter from Bastar, murdered for exposing corruption. His dead body was found in a septic tank. Press freedom in India is a lie. pic.twitter.com/tTNBfq7PuS
— vipul (@vipul_reports) January 3, 2025
Who was Mukesh Chandrakar?
Following an engagement in Bijapur in 2021, CRPF personnel were kidnapped by Maoists; Mukesh Chandrakar was instrumental in gaining his release. The state police hailed him for playing a pivotal role in CRPF commando Rakeshwar Singh Manhas’s release. Mukesh covered encounters, attacks by the Naxals, and other problems impacting Bastar in great detail.
With ten years of journalism experience, Mukesh who began his journalism career in 2012 managed the well-liked YouTube channel Bastar Junction, which had more than 159,000 members, and worked as a stringer for a major national news station. His channel highlighted topics significant to the tribal population and included recordings on several facets of the struggle between the State and the Maoists.
Mukesh helped other reporters from Raipur, the state capital, by utilizing his wide network.
Age 33 Mukesh of Bastar was last seen on the evening of January 1 and his elder brother, Yukesh Chandrakar, a television journalist, filed a missing person report with the police the following day.
Yukesh’s complaint mentioned a recent story Mukesh had reported, highlighting alleged irregularities in the construction of a road from Gangaloor to Nelasanar village and the report prompted an investigation into the project, and Yukesh cited threats from three individuals, including contractor Suresh Chandrakar.
Mukesh exposed alleged corruption in a Rs 120-crore road construction project from Gangalur to Hiroli in the Bastar region as the project, whose initial tender was worth Rs 50 crore, saw it escalating to Rs 120 crore without any changes to the scope of work.
Journalist Mukesh Chandrakar, who exposed a road scam in Chhattisgarh, was found dead in a septic tank at the contractor’s premises. He had been missing for days. #MukeshChandrakar #Journalism #Chhattisgarh pic.twitter.com/u8Obzd7ClP
— Sneha Mordani (@snehamordani) January 4, 2025