The murder of Mukesh Chandrakar, a freelance journalist from Chhattisgarh, has once again brought into sharp focus the precarious conditions faced by journalists in India. He worked diligently to bring local governance issues to light. He reported widely on alleged corruption in public construction projects. Chandrakar also ran a popular YouTube channel, Bastar Junction. His videos highlighted stories frequently overlooked by mainstream media – reports of innocent villagers killed or wrongfully accused of being Maoists and imprisoned by the police.
Mukesh Chandrakar went missing on January 1. His body was found on January 3 in a septic tank in the compound of a road construction contractor Suresh Chandrakar. Preliminary reports suggest he had been attacked and subjected to violence before his death. A week before his disappearance, Mukesh Chandrakar worked on a report about the poor condition of a road under Suresh Chandrakar’s contract. An official investigation into the contract was opened the day after NDTV broadcast the story on 25th December.
Chhattisgarh Bachao Andolan (CBA), Civil Society Organisations, media bodies like the Editors Guild of India and the Press Association have condemned this killing, and called for a thorough investigation and better protection for journalists. The statement by the CBA and its 20+ affiliated organizations have termed Mukesh Chandrakar’s murder as an attack on people’s journalism that consistently highlighted issues such as the wrongful arrests of tribal people under the guise of crushing Maoism, fake encounters, human rights violations of tribal communities, and conspiracies to hand
over the state’s natural resources to corporates. This murder reflects the collusion between corrupt individuals and the politicians and administrators shielding them. Suresh Chandrakar and others involved in this murder have close ties with leaders from both Congress and the BJP.
India: A Dangerous Place for Journalism
Chandrakar’s murder is not an isolated case but part of a troubling pattern of violence against journalists in India. At least 13 of the 28 journalists killed since 2014 were working on environmental-related subjects, mainly land seizures and illegal mining for industrial purposes. Media watchdog ‘Reporters Without Borders’ has said that an average of three or four journalists are killed in connection with their work in India every year, making it one of the world’s most dangerous countries for the media. According to the Press Freedom Index by Reporters Without Borders, India ranks 159 out of 180 countries (2024). Journalists, especially those working in rural and conflict-prone areas, often face intimidation, harassment, and violence. This danger increases further when a journalist is working on socio-economic and political issues affecting the people.
Mukesh Chandrakar’s tragic death is a grim reminder of the risks faced by journalists who stay true to their job and underscores the urgent need for systemic reforms to protect journalists in India.
