Mukesh Chandrakar, a 28-year-old freelance journalist who reported on corruption and local governance, was found killed on January 3, 2025, in the central Indian state of Chhattisgarh, India. His mutilated body was discovered in a septic tank on property owned by his cousin, contractor Suresh Chandrakar.
In late December, the news channel NDTV had aired Mukesh Chandrakar’s investigation into alleged corruption in a 1.2 billion rupee (US$12 million) road project, which implicated Suresh Chandrakar and prompted a state government inquiry.
Suresh Chandrakar and three other suspects were arrested on January 4 and 5 and remained in custody as of early April 2025.
In a March 18 chargesheet, the Bijapur police alleged that Suresh Chandrakar orchestrated the killing in retaliation for the journalist’s reporting on substandard road construction, which led his cousin to face tax-related raids and fines.
Mayank Gurjar, head of a police Special Investigation Team set up by the state government to investigate the killing, told CPJ that the four suspects had been charged with murder, conspiracy, destruction of evidence under India’s criminal code. Other charges include possessing money involved in fraud and harboring a suspect.
Mukesh Chandrakar reported on local issues, such as the local Naxalite-Maoist insurgency on his YouTube channel Bastar Junction, in addition to freelancing for other outlets.