Chhattisgarh journalist’s body found in septic tank, day after brother reported him missing

A press release issued by Bijapur police said, “We searched the vicinity of a contractor’s residence in Chhatanpara basti, and found the body of Chandrakar in a septic tank.”

“We reached the spot as it was his last mobile location, and the complete concretisation of the tank looked suspicious, so we decided to break it and discovered his body,” an officer said.

Reacting to Chandrakar’s death, Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai said in a post on X, “The news of the murder of young and dedicated journalist Mukesh Chandrakar ji of Bijapur is extremely sad and heartbreaking. Mukesh ji’s demise is an irreparable loss for the world of journalism and for society. The culprit will not be spared under any circumstances. We have given instructions to arrest the criminals as soon as possible and give them the harshest punishment…”

Chandrakar had reported on the condition of health facilities and hospitals in Bijapur. He was also known for his reporting on violence from the Naxal heartland, including from Naxal camps and remote villages.

The last story on his YouTube channel was posted on December 23. In it, he covered the abduction and murder of a civilian, allegedly by Maoists who dubbed him an informer. He had also reported about how residents of villages in Bijapur took the initiative to build a bridge on their own in order to cross a river.