Mukesh Chandrakar, 28, who ran a YouTube channel called Bastar Junction in the central Chhattisgarh state, had been missing since 1 January.

His reporting had uncovered alleged irregularities in a £11.8m road project in the Bastar region, a hotbed of Maoist insurgency, prompting a government inquiry.

After his family raised the alarm, police found the journalist’s body at a site owned by a local contractor who had been angry at his reporting.

The Press Council of India and the Editors Guild of India have demanded a thorough inquiry, describing Chandrakar’s death as a matter of “grave concern” and urging the government to prioritise the safety of journalists, particularly those involved in field and investigative reporting. Protests have been staged by journalists in Bijapur demanding punishment for the perpetrators.

Source The Indipendent