“If you were a journalist visiting Bijapur, Mukesh was the first person you’d contact. He never said no to anyone, even to strangers asking for help,” said Chhattisgarh-based journalist Nilesh Tripathi, who had known Mukesh Chandrakar since 2017.
Mukesh, a journalist from Chhattisgarh's Bijapur, who became known for his fearless reporting on corruption, met a tragic end after uncovering the poor construction of a local road. Aged 28, Mukesh disappeared on 1 January, only to be found two days later in a septic tank on the premises of contractor Suresh Chandrakar. The tank had been sealed with concrete to conceal his body.
Mukesh ran a YouTube channel, Bastar Junction, with over 1,59,000 subscribers, where he reported from the ground on critical issues in the Bastar region. In addition, he freelanced for several media outlets, consistently exposing pressing matters.
Speaking to The Quint, Sundarraj P, Inspector General of Bastar Range, confirmed that Mukesh was reported missing on New Year’s Day. So far, the police have arrested three suspects, while Suresh Chandrakar remains at large.
The postmortem examination revealed the brutal nature of his murder, with findings including 15 fractures to his head, a broken neck, and his heart ripped out.
According to Jitendra Yadav, Superintendent of Police in Bijapur, the investigation was based on Mukesh’s last known phone location and call records. Upon visiting the contractor’s premises, the police noticed freshly laid concrete over an old septic tank. Breaking it open, they found Mukesh’s body submerged in water. The site, usually used as labour accommodation and a badminton court, was sealed off for further examination.
Report That Preceded the Murder
Tripathi, a journalist and long-time collaborator of Mukesh, alleges that the motive behind his killing was his report exposing substandard construction on a road between Gangloor and Nelsonar. Mukesh provided critical inputs for this story, which was published by NDTV’s Madhya Pradesh-Chhattisgarh division on 22 December 2024.
Tripathi claimed that Mukesh had informed him about receiving a call from Suresh Chandrakar on the same day a follow-up report on the road’s poor quality was published. Mukesh’s brother, Yukesh Chandrakar, also a journalist, mentions in his police statement that Mukesh had received threats from Suresh and two others after the story aired. The report had led to an official inquiry into the road project.
But Mukesh was no stranger to danger. In 2021, he played a key role in negotiating the release of a CRPF commando, Rakeshwar Singh Manhas, who had been kidnapped by Maoists.
Using his deep local knowledge and connections, Mukesh facilitated communication between the authorities and the insurgents, ultimately ensuring the commando’s safe return. This act of courage and resourcefulness earned him widespread recognition, including praise from the state police. The state police credited him for his crucial intervention during the hostage crisis.
Over a decade-long career, Mukesh covered sensitive issues such as Maoist violence, government corruption, and systemic failures in the Bastar region. Starting as a stringer for national news channels, he later launched Bastar Junction in May 2021, building a network that supported journalists from across the country.
His life was marked by resilience. Having lost his father as a child, his family was displaced during the anti-Maoist Salwa Judum movement between 2005 and 2007. His mother, an Anganwadi worker, sent Mukesh and his brother to a government hostel. She succumbed to cancer nine years ago, leaving the brothers to fend for themselves.
Tripathi described him as "a helpful and selfless individual".
Political Fallout
Mukesh’s murder has sparked a political storm in Chhattisgarh, with both the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the opposition Congress trading barbs over the incident.
The Congress accused the BJP of fostering a "jungle raj" that has led to rampant lawlessness, implicating it in failing to ensure the safety of journalists in the state. Meanwhile, the BJP countered by alleging that contractor Suresh Chandrakar, a prime suspect, had close ties with Congress leaders, even claiming that he was appointed as the SC Morcha State Secretary under the Congress leadership.
Both sides have called for swift justice, but the blame game continues to dominate the discourse.
The incident has ignited widespread protests. On 4 January, Bijapur observed a district-wide bandh as enraged journalists demanded the suspension of the Superintendent of Police and strict action against the culprits. Roads were blocked as demonstrators voiced their outrage.
(Translated from Hindi by Syed Fahim Ahmed)
(At The Quint, we question everything. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member today.)