Raipur: A 28-year-old journalist, who went missing after meeting the brother of a road contractor, was murdered in south Chhattisgarh’s Bijapur district on Friday.

Television journalist Mukesh Chandrakar’s body was found in a septic tank at the premises of a local road contractor in Bijapur town, police said.

Chandrakar, a television journalist who reported from the Bastar region for NDTV, also established a YouTube channel, Bastar Junction.

Police said Chandrakar went missing on January 1 shortly after receiving a call from the cousin of a local contractor.

Mukesh told a journalist in Raipur about the phone call that the contractor’s brother wanted to meet him, a person familiar with the matter said.

Police said that around 12.30 am on January 1, Mukesh’s phones were switched off and he did not return home.

Chandrakar is survived by his brother Yukesh and both lost their parents when they were very young. Chandrakar’s brother, who is also a journalist, lodged a missing complaint on January 2 after waiting for his brother’s arrival.

IG Bastar P Sundarraj said that a special team was formed to trace the journalist following his brother’s complaint.

His last known mobile location was traced to the premises of a contractor, Suresh Chandrakar, in Chattanpara Basti, where police found a septic tank freshly sealed with concrete.

Subsequently, the police opened the tank and mutilated Mukesh’s body, leaving several injuries on his head and back.

Superintendent of Police Jitendra Yadav said several people, including Suresh Chandrakar, were being questioned “as the body was found on their premises”.

Police said they are probing whether Mukesh’s death is related to the stories he told in recent days.

In April 2021, Mukesh was counted among those people. Credit goes to the state police for playing an important role. To secure the release of Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) Cobra unit commando Rakeshwar Singh Minhas, who was held hostage by the Maoists.

“As a journalist, my colleague paid the ultimate price to expose the truth. This is a stark reminder of the risks journalists take every day in pursuit of accountability. We stand in solidarity with his family. , and we demand an immediate and impartial investigation to bring those responsible to justice. Their sacrifice will not go in vain and we will continue their fight for transparency and justice.” NDTV said Anurag Duari, resident editor of K.

Chief Minister Vishnu Dev Sai said that the accused will not be spared and will be arrested soon. The loss of Mukeshji is an irreparable loss to journalism and society. Those responsible for this incident will not be spared. We have directed the authorities to arrest the accused at the earliest and ensure the strictest punishment,” Sai said in a statement.

Chhattisgarh Congress President Deepak Bij has strongly condemned this murder. The horrific series of murders that started from the capital has now reached Bastar. A doctor’s wife was murdered in Jagdalpur during the Chief Minister’s presence in Bastar. The deteriorating law and order situation in the state is now targeting the fourth pillar of democracy. Journalists are paying with their lives for their unbiased reporting. The journalist’s body was found in a septic tank in Sairaj,” said Baij.