NEW DELHI: Suresh Chandrakar, the main accused in the murder of journalist Bastar and YouTuber Mukesh Chandrakar He was arrested by the Special Investigation Team (SIT) from Hyderabad, police said on Monday.
Mukesh Chandrakar, 33, a Bastar journalist known for his incisive field reporting, went missing on New Year’s Day. His body was discovered on Friday in a septic tank at the facilities of a highway contractor in bijapur district. The septic tank had recently been sealed with a concrete slab, officials said.
Mukesh, who contributed to several major television channels including NDTV, was known for his courageous reporting in the insurgency-affected region. He had recently exposed an alleged road construction scam in Bijapur, prompting an official probe into local contractors. The police suspect that his murder is related to this revelation.
According to police, Mukesh received a call from a local contractor on January 1 and informed a Raipur-based journalist about the meeting. Then he disappeared. His brother Yugesh lodged a complaint which led to the discovery of Mukesh’s body at Suresh Chandrakar’s residence in Chattanpara Basti.
The Bastar police confirmed that Chandrakar was the prime suspect and had been on the run until his arrest in Hyderabad.
Expressing grief, Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai tweeted: “The news of the murder of young and dedicated journalist Mukesh Chandrakar is heartbreaking. The culprit will not be spared.”
Manish Gupta, president of the Bastar Journalists Association, described the incident as a “dark chapter”. He said: “A journalist being attacked is a major security concern for all of us. It is challenging to work in Bastar, and the safety of a journalist is the responsibility of the police, government and society. The roots of journalism ethics have been shaken today.”
Members of the Raipur Press Club gathered at Jai Stambh Chowk on Friday night to demand quick action against the perpetrators. Meanwhile, journalists in Bijapur called for a complete shutdown to protest the killing.
Mukesh Chandrakar had previously played a key role in securing the release of a CoBRA commando kidnapped by Maoists following the Tekulguda massacre in April 2021, in which 29 security personnel were killed. Their work highlighted the risks faced by journalists reporting from conflict zones.