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Bastar journalist Mukesh Chandrakar had to pay a heavy price for exposing corruption in the area. Their investigation unearthed a scam where a ₹50 crore tender was inflated to ₹120 crore, and also exposed 32 potholes that were being ignored by local officials. But the truth had to be paid. On December 28, Mukesh met Suresh Chandrakar, the main face of the corruption scam. His colleagues later believed that that meeting sealed his fate.
“When we learned that Mukesh was missing, we went to the police station and lodged a report,” said one of his fellow journalists. A few days later, using Google, they traced his last location to Suresh’s house. The search led them to a body that was hidden.
His colleague said, “Mukesh’s report revealed the truth, but it cost him everything.”
The Quint interviewed three Bastar-based journalists, Ganesh Mishra, Pinaki Ranjan Das and Chetan Kapewar, who were also friends of Mukesh Chandrakar. He spoke to us about the value of journalism and the daily fight for survival in Bastar. Without insurance, underpaid and in constant fear, local journalists face threats from both the police and Naxalites. Yet, they continue to risk their lives, knowing that their work is essential to amplifying the voices that need to be heard.
