RAIPUR: A day after the police traced the body of journalist Mukesh Chandrakar in Bijapur district, south Chhattisgarh, the authorities used bulldozer action to demolish “illegal” property owned by the accused.
The police on Saturday arrested three accused including Ritesh Chandrakar and Dinesh Chandrakar (both are cousins of Mukesh). The main contractor Suresh Chandrakar, now absconding, is the real brother of Ritesh and Dinesh.
An 11-member special investigation team (SIT) led by Bijapur's additional Superintendent of Police Bijapur has been constituted to probe the death of the journalist.
The murder of a 33-year-old journo, missing since January 1 night, has raised serious concerns about the safety of media persons working in the Bastar division. He had reportedly gone to attend a meeting with Suresh Chandrakar and later his mobile phone went offline.
Yukesh Chandrakar, elder brother of Mukesh, lodged a missing person complaint on January 2. His body was found by the police in a septic tank in the premises owned by Suresh Chandrakar on Friday evening. The incident led to journalists staging a strong protest in the district demanding justice and strong deterrent action against the accused.
“In the aftermath of the brutal murder of young journalist Mukesh Chandrakar, Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai has taken a tough stance, sending a strong message against crime and criminals in the state. Following the CM’s directives, the administration swiftly demolished the house of the main accused using a bulldozer”, said a government spokesperson.
Mukesh, who was earlier a freelancer for a couple of national media houses, had his own YouTube channel ‘Bastar Junction’.
CM Sai expressed his grief over the killing of Mukesh calling it “extremely sad”. He reiterated his commitment to ensure that those found guilty will not be spared and vowed to uphold the rule of law with firm actions.
The murder of Chankdrakar also led to a war of words between the ruling BJP and the opposition Congress in Chhattisgarh. The Congress alleged “lawlessness and jungle raj” prevailing in the state and sought the resignation of the state home minister Vijay Sharma.
Sharma said that all bank accounts linked to Suresh Chandrakar, citing him as a Congress leader, have been frozen and illegally occupied property has been confiscated. The Congress spokesperson Sushil Anand Shukla however countered that Suresh has joined the BJP last month and recently visited the CM House.
The BJP displaying some images on the social media claimed Suresh was close to Congress state president Deepak Baij, who rubbished the assertion saying the “ruling party is now attempting to cover up its own failure”.