By The Wire Staff
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.
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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.
This story was originally published in thewire.in. Read the full story here.
