Journalist’s body found in tank in Chhattisgarh days after report on corruption

The body of a 28-year-old journalist was found in a septic tank on the premises of a contractor whom he had recently exposed for corruption in Chhattisgarh.

Mukesh Chandrakar, who worked with a local news channel, was found dead on January 3 in Bijapur district. Mukesh, who had been missing since the night of January 1, recently conducted an investigation 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’s elder brother, Yukesh Chandrakar, filed a missing person report after his phone remained switched off following a meeting arranged by Suresh Chandrakar’s brother, Ritesh, at one of the contractor’s properties. On January 3, Mukesh’s body was discovered inside the water tank on the premises of Suresh’s property in Chattanpara, where he was last seen.

“The victim’s brother informed us 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.

The police acted swiftly, arresting Suresh Chandrakar from Hyderabad and Ritesh from Delhi, sources said. One labourer who helped in getting rid of the body has also been arrested. Several suspects, including those from the contractor’s circle, are being questioned, police said.

Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai expressed his condolences, saying Mukesh’s death was an “irreparable loss to journalism and society”.

“The news of the murder of Bijapur’s young and dedicated journalist, Mukesh Chandrakar ji is very sad and heartbreaking… The culprit will not be spared under any circumstances. I have given instructions to arrest the criminals as soon as possible and ensure the harshest punishment for them,” Sai tweeted.

Sources said 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.