It has been three days since the body of a 33-year-old journalist, Mukesh Chandrakar was found inside a septic tank at a contractor’s property, in Chhattisgarh’s Bijapur district. Chandrakar had recently exposed allegations of corruption in a multi-crore road project.
The chilling murder has sent shock waves across the entire nation. The police, by Sunday, arrested three suspects in the case, along with the prime accused, contractor Suresh Chandrakar.
Mukesh worked at a local news channel and recently completed a story on the alleged corruption in a 120-crore road construction project in the Bastar area. The story by Chandrakar reportedly prompted a government enquiry into the activities of contractor Suresh Chandrakar.
Mukesh has been missing since the first day of 2025 after attending a meeting organised by the contractor’s brother, Ritesh Chandrakar. The meeting was held at the same property where his body was later found. Ritesh Chandrakar is one of the three arrested suspects in the case. Another of the Chandrakar brothers, Dinesh, is another of the suspects.
The investigation was launched by the local police after Yogesh Chandrakar, the elder brother of the journalist, filed a missing complaint. After reviewing CCTV footage and mobile location data, the police inferred that Mukesh did not leave the property on January 1. Upon further search, the police found Mukesh’s body in a tank concealed by newly laid down cement.
The death of journalist Mukesh Chandrakar is being taken up by the police seriously, especially after Mukesh’s recent investigative reports. The government has formed an 11-member Special Investigation Team (SIT) led by IPS officer Mayank Gurjar to investigate the case further.
The murder case has become another battlefield for the BJP and the Congress. The deputy chief minister of Chhattisgarh, Vijay Sharma, alleged that the main accused has an affiliation with the Congress party. However, Congress countered the claims, saying that Suresh Chandrakar was inducted into the BJP. This claim by the Congress is grounded on CCTV footage from the chief minister’s residence, where Suresh Chandrakar visited before the murder.
