Journalist found dead in Chhattisgarh days after report on road project corruption​on January 3, 2025 at 4:31 pm

Journalist found dead in Chhattisgarh days after report on road project corruption

​Journalist found dead in Chhattisgarh days after report on road project corruption Journalist found dead in Chhattisgarh days after report on road project corruption   

Journalist Mukesh Chandrakar, who worked with a local news channel, was found dead on January 3, 2025, in Bijapur district. Mukesh had been missing since the night of January 1, after conducting an investigative report against contractor Suresh Chandrakar, exposing alleged irregularities in a Rs 120-crore road construction project in Bastar. The expose had prompted the government to initiate an enquiry into the contractor’s activities.

Mukesh had been missing since the night of January 1. His elder brother, Yukesh Chandrakar, filed a missing person report after Mukesh’s phone remained switched off following a meeting arranged by Suresh Chandrakar’s brother, Ritesh, at one of Suresh’s properties. A police investigation was launched promptly, and a team was formed to trace him.

On January 3, Mukesh’s body was discovered inside a water tank on the premises of Suresh Chandrakar in Chattanpara locality, where he was last seen.

“The victim’s brother informed us yesterday that Mukesh had been missing since January 1. We initiated action, scanned CCTV footage and also found his last location. We found Mukesh’s dead body inside a tank in the evening today,” a senior police official said.

As the police recovered the body, forensic experts were called to the scene, and investigations into the circumstances of his death are ongoing. Several suspects, including those from the contractor’s circle, are being questioned.

Police said that Sukesh’s brother is in custody while the rest of the family is currently on the run.

Sources reveal that Bastar’s contractor lobby is notorious for using influence and alleged payoffs to secure government contracts, often silencing voices of dissent through threats or violence. Journalists covering corruption in the region frequently face harassment and intimidation.

The Bijapur police have confirmed Mukesh’s death and assured a thorough investigation.

(With inputs from Dharmendra Mahapatra)