Uttarakhand journalist Rajeev Pratap’s death has created quite a stir across the nation and on social media. Ten days after he went missing, Pratap’s remains were found from a river in Uttarkashi district on Sunday.
The family has been alleging foul play since the time he went missing, and they have still maintained their stance. But the police has said that Pratap likely met with an accident due to which his car fell into the river. The vehicle was pulled out on September 19, but his body was probably swept away and was later found on Sunday at Joshiyara Barrage, according to Superintendent of Police Sarita Dobhal, reported The Indian Express.
Who was Rajeev Pratap?
Rajeev Pratap, an IIMC alumnus, was running a digital news channel called Delhi Uttarakhand Live. His family claims he was being threatened after posting a story on the district hospital in Uttarkashi. He went missing on September 16, after which his they filed a missing person complaint, stating that he had left for Gangori-Bhatwari but never returned.
‘He was abducted’: Pratap’s wife alleges foul play
His wife, Muskan, said she last spoke to him around 11 pm on the night he went missing. According to her, he was feeling anxious after uploading reports on a hospital and a school, and had told her that several people were threatening to kill him if he did not remove the videos. She said her last message to him at 11:50 pm went undelivered. She says that Pratap was abducted and inststed that he could not have simply fallen off the road.
“Many people in the area hold enmity against him. Therefore, it is requested that you kindly help in tracing Rajeev Pratap. We fear that some untoward incident may have happened. Please help us in locating him at the earliest,” the complaint had said.
What does the police say?
Police said that 36-year-old Rajeev Pratap was last seen sitting alone in his Alto car near a bus stop on September 18 around 11.20 pm. The next day, his car was found badly damaged in the Bhagirathi River near Gangori. After this, his family filed a missing person report.
The SDRF and police later pulled the car out of the river, and during the inspection in front of his family, a slipper was found inside. On Sunday, a body was discovered in the river at Joshiyara Barrage, which the family confirmed to be Rajeev Pratap. A postmortem was then conducted, the police said, reported IE.