‘Grave of journalism’: Horrific details in autopsy report of Chhattisgarh journalist Mukesh Chandrakar

RAIPUR: Bastar police have arrested Suresh Chandrakar from Hyderabad, who is the prime accused in murder of Bijapur journalist Mukesh Chandrakar, and worked a contractor. The Special Investigation Team (SIT) has taken Suresh in custody and brought him to Bijapur on Monday.

His brothers Dinesh and Ritesh along with a supervisor Mahendra Ramteke, were earlier arrested while Suresh was on the run. Suresh, Ritesh and Dinesh are brothers and were cousins of deceased Mukesh.

Till date four persons have been arrested for brutal murder of journalist Mukesh Chandrakar on the night of Jan 1, at the farmhouse of Suresh Chandrakar. Mukesh’ body was dumped in a septic tank and the tank was made complete concrete that looked like a place to sit.

Journalists in Bastar called it a ‘grave of Journalism’.

Mukesh’s brother Yukesh had reported missing complaint on Jan 2 and his body was found next evening.

After the enraged reaction from Journalists across the state and concerns raised in other parts of the country, state govt constituted a Special Investigation Team to conduct the probe into the case and within a day, caught Suresh Chandrakar from Hyderabad on Sunday night.

According to a local scribe in Bijapur, a group of Journalists had gone to the farmhouse to investigate on their level if they could find some traces of Mukesh there. Upon spotting the freshly cemented tank-like structure, they raised suspicion and informed police, urging them to get it dismantled.

They were shocked and all teary to find their fear becoming a truth upon finding Mukesh’s body.

Mukesh Chandrakar, 33, who worked for NDTV and alsoran a Youtube channel ‘Bastar Junction’ was brutally murdered, reveals the horrific details of primary autopsy report.

According to sources, the sequence of events began from the night of Jan 1 around 8 pm when Mukesh got a call from his cousin Ritesh to meet him at the farmhouse located at Chattanpara in Bijapur town for dinner.

The duo met there, when Ritesh allegedly raised objection and criticised Mukesh for covering a road construction corruption on NDTV despite that they were relatives. The NDTV report referred to the road construction scam, of which accused Chandrakars were contractors.

It’s suspected that they entered into an argument, following which, Mukesh was badly beaten with iron rod multiple times, leading to his death. It’s not clear who all were present at the spot then.

The preliminary autopsy report reveal horrific details having 15 fractures on Mukesh’s skull bone, lever and heart punctured, ribs broken, neck and collar bone broken. Doctors were shocked to see such a case.

Police are yet to reveal the exact details and sequence of events and the total number of accused involved in the murder of Mukesh.

Meanwhile, Press Club of India has called for a condolence cum protest meeting for Mukesh Chandrakar on Jan 7 at 5 pm in New Delhi.