At a candlelight vigil for Mukesh Chandrakar, supporters called for justice for the slain journalist.
Chandrakar, who was part of the Mahar community in the Indian city of Bijapur, was known for his coverage of corruption. He worked for the TV news channel NDTV and ran a YouTube channel “Bastar Junction,” which has 170,000 subscribers.
At the vigil on Sunday, RD Jhadi, who speaks for the Mahar community, told the media, “We want a safe environment for journalists so they can work freely and without fear.”
In the wake of the killing, the Press Club of India — one of the country’s largest media associations — demanded that the government pass protective measures for media workers.
The body of the 33-year-old Chandrakar was discovered in a septic tank on Jan. 3. His brother had filed a missing person report to police on Jan. 1, noting that the journalist had been receiving threats.
Chandrakar’s body showed evidence of a brutal attack, with broken ribs and fractures to the skull, according to local media reports.
Chandrakar had recently investigated a road construction scam in Bijapur, which resulted in an official investigation into contractors.
The state of Chhattisgarh deputy chief minister was cited in local media as saying that police suspect the murder is directly linked to the coverage. He said that the journalist’s report on corruption was aired on Dec. 25, and it was possible that the coverage was the reason for the attack. He added that charges are expected to be filed within a week.
Chhattisgarh’s chief minister, Shri Vishnu Deo Sai, condemned the murder and the state government has set up a special investigation team. So far, at least three arrests have been made.
One of those is an individual identified as Suresh Chandrakar, a distant relative of the journalist who, according to local media, was allegedly upset by the state government's investigation into the construction project after the corruption was uncovered,
The police tracked hours of security video and phone records before making the arrest of Suresh Chandrakar.
The killing was widely condemned by media groups in India. As well as his investigations into corruption, Mukesh Chandrakar was known for his reporting on the Naxalite-Maoist insurgency in India.
Gautam Lahiri, president of the Press Club of India, told VOA the case is not the first instance of a journalist being killed in Chhattisgarh.
Lahiri said that the press club is demanding “strict and swift” action.
He added that the government needs to do more to protect journalists and should act on a long-standing call for better legislation to ensure media members are safe.
“The Press Club of India has been raising its voice for the protection of journalists,” said Lahiri, adding that the press club demands that central and state governments “ensure the safety of journalists in the country.”
The Editors' Guild of India, in a letter, described the killing as a matter of grave concern. The guild demanded that the state government “spare no efforts in investigating the case speedily and bringing the guilty to book.”
Media watch dogs have been expressing concerns over the declining state of press freedom in India under the government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Journalists who cover corruption in remote areas are said to be the most vulnerable.
At least 24 journalists have been killed in India in relation to their work in the past decade, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists. The media freedom organization is investigating a further nine cases to see if reporting was a motive.
Among those cases is Subhash Kumar Mahato, a reporter based in Bihar who covered illegal mining. Mahato was shot in May 2022.
India ranks 159 out of 180, where 1 is the best environment on the World Press Freedom Index.
Indian authorities deny any threats to press freedom and say that the media enjoys complete freedom in the country.
This story originated in VOA’s Urdu Service.
