Media Bodies Demand Clarity After Journalist Known for Reporting on Corruption is Found Dead

New Delhi: The body of 36-year-old journalist Rajeev Pratap, who ran the YouTube news channel Delhi Uttarakhand Live, was recovered from a river in Uttarakhand on September 28.

Pratap, who regularly reported on corruption, had last spoken to his wife on September 19 – the same day on which his car was found on the Bhagirathi river, reports said. Nine days later his body was discovered at the Joshiyara hydroelectric barrage which is downstream.

While police initially alleged a car accident had killed him, his family has revealed suspicions of foul play.

“He was telling me that he was feeling anxious after his reports on a hospital and a school (which he had uploaded on his YouTube channel). He said that many people were calling him, threatening to kill him if the videos were not taken down. At 11.50, I sent a message, and it went undelivered. He was abducted by someone. I am sure he did not just fall off the road,” Muskan, Pratap's wife, was quoted as having told The Indian Express.

One of his most popular reports had been on how alcohol was being consumed at an Uttarakhand hospital and the state at which it was in.

Uttarakhand chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami has expressed grief at the death and ordered a probe.

Media bodies have been demanding clarity.

The National Alliance of Journalists, the Press Club of India, the Delhi Union of Journalists and the Kerala Union of Working Journalists (Delhi Unit) have all demanded an urgent inquiry.

Expressing its ‘deep shock and anguish’ at Pratap's death, the Press Club noted that “democracy itself is gravely imperilled” if “journalists are killed for exercising their duty to inform the public”. “Journalists must not live in fear of retribution for reporting in public interest,” it added.

“Authorities in Uttarakhand state should not discount any possible causes of Rajeev Pratap’s death, including his family’s serious allegation that he was targeted for his journalism,” said Kunāl Majumder, the India representative of the Committee to Protect Journalists. “The initial police conclusion that he died because of a car crash must not preclude a rigorous examination of the threats made against him. Those who threaten journalists must be held accountable.”

The Indian Institution of Mass Communication has also posted on X noting that Pratap's death was under "mysterious circumstances".

"We expect police to come clean with transparency in this case," the institute said.

36 year old journalist Rajeev Pratap murdered for reporting corruption.

Read that again.
Contemplate how we reached here.
Then be ashamed.

— Dr.Medusa (@ms_medusssa) September 29, 2025

Hours before his car was found, journalist Rajiv Pratap had told his wife that many people were calling him regarding his recent investigations.

They were threatening to kill him if the videos were not taken down. pic.twitter.com/0aoFyzKM56

— Parth MN (@parthpunter) September 29, 2025

However, some reporters insist the death was an accident.

अभिनव, जिस जिला मुख्यालय में राजीव पत्रकारिता करते थे वहां तकरीबन दस साल पत्रकारिता कर चुका हूं वह इलाका इतना क्रूर नहीं कि किसी की हत्या कर दे। दुखद सड़क दुर्घटना का मामला है। राजीव ने जो भी खबर अनियमितता की कवर की बाद में उसमें सुधार होने की खबरें भी बताई।

— Pankaj Kushwal (@PankajHimalaya) September 30, 2025

Earlier this year, the body of 28-year-old freelance journalist Mukesh Chandrakar, who had been reported missing, was found in a septic tank on the property of a contractor in Bijapur, Chhattisgarh. Like Pratap, Chandrakar was also known for his investigative reporting – on the Maoist conflict and corruption in road construction projects in the Bastar region.

In February 2023, investigative reporter Shashikant Warishe died in Maharashtra after being run down by an SUV driven by a real estate lobbyist connected to illegal land seizures that he had been investigating.

In May 2022, 26-year-old Subhash Kumar Mahto, a freelance reporter known for his reporting on the sand mafia, was fatally shot in the head by four hitmen outside his home in Bihar.

India ranks 151st out of 181 countries in the press freedom index compiled by Reporters Without Borders. In response to a parliament question about the decline in India’s press freedom rankings and cases of violence and intimidation of journalists, the Union government stated in August that “India has a vibrant press and media ecosystem, which does not need validation from foreign organisations.”

Note: This article has been updated since publication.

The Wire is now on WhatsApp. Follow our channel for sharp analysis and opinions on the latest developments.