Body Of Missing Chhattisgarh Journalist Mukesh Chandrakar Found In Septic Tank; 'Culprit Will Not Be Spared,' Says CM

Tracking Mukesh's mobile number, police reached the property owned by a contractor at Chattanpara Basti in Bijapur town and found the body.

Bijapur: The body of journalist Mukesh Chandrakar who had gone missing since Wednesday was found in a septic tank on a local contractor's property in Chhattisgarh's Bijapur city on Friday, police said. A case of murder has been registered following the recovery of the body.

The 33-year-old Mukesh Chandrakar worked as a freelance journalist for news channels and also ran a YouTube channel, `Bastar Junction', which has some 1.59 lakh subscribers. He went missing on the evening of January 1, and his elder brother Yukesh Chandrakar lodged a complaint with the police the next day, a senior police official said.

Tracking Mukesh's mobile number, police reached the property owned by contractor Suresh Chandrakar at Chattanpara Basti in Bijapur town and found the body, he said.

A murder case was registered and some suspects have been detained for questioning, the official added. He, however, did not specify how Mukesh was killed, and whether the contractor was among those detained. The autopsy report was awaited, he said.

According to some local journalists, Mukesh Chandrakar had done some stories on irregularities in road construction works in the area.

CM Assures Action

Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai said the culprits will be arrested at the earliest. "The news of the murder of Bijapur's young and dedicated journalist Mukesh Chandrakar ji is very sad and heartbreaking. Mukesh ji's demise is an irreparable loss for journalism and society," Sai wrote on X.

"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," the CM added.

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