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The body of an Indian journalist who reported on corruption in the country has been found in a water tank in Chhattisgarh state.
Mukesh Chandrakar, 32, went missing on New Year’s Day and his family registered a complaint with the police.
His body was found on Friday in the house of a road construction contractor in Bijapur area after police searched his mobile phone.
Three people have been arrested for his death, including two of his relatives. The media manager wants to do a thorough investigation.
Police in Bijapur district found nothing during the first visit to the spot on January 2.
“However, when we re-examined on January 3, we found Mukesh’s body in a new water tank near the badminton court,” a senior police officer said, referring to concrete slabs placed on top of the tank.
Police said his body showed severe injuries consistent with a violent attack.
Chandrakar, a freelance journalist, has reported extensively on corruption in government services.
He also ran the popular YouTube channel, Bastar Junction.
After his death, the Press Council of India requested a report “on the facts of the case” from the state government.
The chief minister described Chandrakar’s death as “heartbreaking”.
Writing on X, he said a special investigation team has been set up to investigate the matter.
It has been heard in the Indian press that one of those arrested for the journalist’s death is his cousin.
One of the suspects – owner Suresh Chandrakar, who is also a relative – is absconding.
Local journalists have protested in order to bring the suspected perpetrators to justice.
Attacks on journalists who report on corruption or environmental degradation are not uncommon in India.
In May 2022, Subhash Kumar Mahto, a freelance journalist known for reporting on people involved in illegal sand mining, was shot in the head by four unidentified men outside his home in Bihar.
Media watchdog Reporters Without Borders says that about three to four journalists are killed every year because of their work in India, making it one of the most dangerous countries in the world.
