Organisations representing news outlets have expressed shock about the death of journalist Mukesh Chandrakar, and have urged the Chhattisgarh government to ensure a speedy investigation.

Chandrakar, who ran the YouTube channel Bastar Junction, frequently investigated and reported on corruption, tribal rights and insurgent violence in conflict-hit Bastar. His body was discovered in a septic tank near a contractor’s home in Bijapur on Friday.

DIGIPUB, an association of digital news organisations, on Sunday demanded that the Chhattisgarh government should carry out a speedy investigation into the death and bring the culprits to justice.

DIGIPUB noted that a few days before Chandrakar disappeared on January 1, he had investigated a private contractor and uncovered corruption in a road construction project in Bastar. His body was found on the property of the same contractor, the news association further noted.

“The public and the larger media community rarely consider the well-being of journalists reporting on vital public issues in small cities and remote towns at significant risk to themselves and their families,” DIGIPUB said. “This needs to change.”

The association also noted that India’s ranking on the press freedom index has declined rapidly in recent years.

“Threats to the safety and security of journalists are not just posed by retaliatory action by the State, which has taken centre stage in the past ten years, but also by criminal elements, different kinds of mafia groups and local politicians,” it said.

The Press Club of India also said on Saturday that it was shocked to learn about Chandrakar’s killing.

“The attacks on and killings of journalists reporting from Bastar division of Chhattisgarh are not new but the impunity with which such incidents are being carried out is unacceptable and must be addressed effectively,” it said.

The organisation also urged the state government to look into the “long-standing demand of local journalists to enact a law to protect journalists”.