Journalist Rajeev Pratap found dead in Uttarkashi River in India
JournalismPakistan.com | Published last month | JP Global Monitoring
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NEW DELHI—Ten days after he went missing, the body of journalist Rajeev Pratap was recovered on Sunday from the Bhagirathi River in Uttarkashi, Uttarakhand, The Indian Express reported.
Pratap, 36, had disappeared on September 18. Police believe his car met with an accident and plunged into the river. The vehicle was pulled out on September 19, but his body was discovered only on September 28 at Joshiyara Barrage, Superintendent of Police Sarita Dobhal told the paper.
“The family has levelled allegations regarding his death, and we are waiting for the postmortem report to confirm the cause of death. Prima facie, his car fell into a gorge and into the river, which had swelled at the time of the incident. CCTV footage showed him alone in the car minutes before,” SP Dobhal said.
However, Pratap’s wife, Muskan, alleged foul play. She said he had received threats after uploading reports on a hospital and a school to his YouTube channel, Delhi Uttarakhand Live. “He was telling me that many people were threatening to kill him if the videos were not taken down. He was abducted by someone. I am sure he did not just fall off the road,” she alleged.
According to police, Pratap, an alumnus of the Indian Institute of Mass Communication (IIMC), was last seen sitting alone in his Alto car near a bus stop at 11.20 pm on September 18. The next day, the car was found mangled in the Bhagirathi River near Gangori. A missing person complaint was filed by his family, and police, along with the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), retrieved the vehicle. One slipper was found inside during the inspection.
On Sunday, his body was recovered downstream. The family identified it as Pratap’s, and a postmortem was conducted.
The family had earlier registered a complaint at the Uttarkashi Kotwali police station, alleging that he was targeted for his reporting on the district hospital and requesting urgent help to trace him. An FIR was filed under the BNS sections related to abduction.
Meanwhile, the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) said on Monday that Indian authorities must conduct a comprehensive and transparent investigation into the death Pratap. “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, CPJ’s India representative. “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.”
