Chhattisgarh journalist meets brutal end

Brut India

Journalist Mukesh Chandrakar reported on various issues in Chhattisgarh. But then, his body was found in a septic tank with grave injuries…

Transcript

00:00His body was found in a septic tank a day after his brother reported him missing.

00:04He was Mukesh Chandrakar, a 32-year-old journalist from Bijapur in Chhattisgarh,

00:09and his life was allegedly taken by his own relatives.

00:12Violence against journalists, highly concentrated media ownership and political alignment were

00:19listed as reasons for India to be ranked 159 out of 180 countries on the Press Freedom Index,

00:25which is published by France-based non-profit organisation Reporters Without Borders.

00:30Back in Chhattisgarh, Mukesh worked as a stringer with several news channels

00:34such as NDTV and News18 and ran a YouTube channel called Bastar Junction.

00:45Mukesh was born in the Basaguda village in Bijapur and lost his father at an early age.

00:50Violence in his village forced him to live in at least two refugee

00:54camps with his Anganwadi worker mother, who passed away from cancer in 2013.

00:59Coming from an economically weak household,

01:02Mukesh sold liquor and worked as a bike mechanic to get by, according to his friend.

01:07He later became a journalist.

01:09He usually reported on corruption in public construction projects,

01:21the Maoist conflict and issues affecting the tribal people.

01:28Journalists who worked with him described him as a helpful professional

01:33who knew his way around local areas and the issues that affected them.

01:37He would sometimes porter other journalists on his bike to hard-to-reach places.

01:42The state police credited Mukesh for helping secure the release of a CRPF commando,

01:46who had been taken hostage by Maoists after an encounter in 2021.

01:51Just as he had started getting a somewhat stable income from his channel,

02:07Mukesh's life was cut short.

02:09On 25th December 2024, he reported about the poor condition of a road made under a

02:15Rs 120 crore project in Bastar, which prompted the government to launch an investigation.

02:20The contractor for this road was Mukesh's cousin, Suresh Chandrakar.

02:24According to the police, Suresh masterminded Mukesh's murder.

02:28Suresh's brother Ritesh had allegedly called Mukesh for a meeting at the spot

02:33where they had often met, but then Mukesh's phone was switched off,

02:37which made his brother Yukesh suspicious.

02:39Yukesh then filed a police complaint.

02:42The police followed Mukesh's phone location to a construction site in Chhatanpara, Basti.

02:47They found his body in a septic tank, which had been freshly covered with concrete.

02:59His post-mortem report showed 5 broken ribs, 15 fractures to the head,

03:04and his heart ripped out, among other injuries.

03:07Four people were arrested in connection with the case, with Suresh being the prime accused.

03:17Police arrested four people in connection with the case.

03:21They are being investigated directly and indirectly.

03:25The investigation has been carried out on the contractor.

03:29All his accounts have been received by the ATMs.

03:33His illegal possession has also been removed.

03:37We are investigating this case.

03:41We are investigating this case.

03:45His illegal possession has also been removed.

03:49The government is completely innocent.

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