Mukesh Chandrakar

Freelance (NDTV); founder, YouTube channel Bastar Junction

Reported on road-construction irregularities in Bastar, Chhattisgarh, from inside one of India's most difficult reporting regions.

The record

His body was found in a septic tank in Bijapur on 3 January 2025 after he reported on alleged irregularities in a road project.source ↗

A chargesheet of more than 1,200 pages filed in March 2025 names contractor Suresh Chandrakar and three others.source ↗

The Reporters' Collective published a long-form tribute, What Killed Mukesh Chandrakar.source ↗

The accused are presumed innocent until a court decides; the trial status should be re-verified before each publication cycle.

Sources

tribuneindia.com — https://www.tribuneindia.com/news/delhi/chhattisgarh-scribe-killed-for-reporting…
reporters-collective.in — https://www.reporters-collective.in/special/what-killed-mukesh-chandrakar

Last verified 27 Oct 2026 · Report a correction