PIONEER EGDE NEWS SERVICE/Uttarkashi
The body of digital media journalist Rajeev Pratap, who had been missing since September 18, was found in the Joshiyara barrage reservoir on Sunday morning. The body was found during search operations conducted on the directions of the Uttarkashi district administration.
It will be recalled that Pratap had been missing since the night of September 18 from the Gangotri area. He had reportedly borrowed a friend’s car and gone towards Gangotri. The car was found abandoned the next day near the Syuna village while Pratap had been missing since then. Search operations had been underway since he was reported missing by his family. Personnel of the National Disaster Response Force, State Disaster Response Force, the district disaster management team and the police continued the search at the Chinyalisaur lake area, Gangori, Kedarghat and the Joshiyara reservoir on Sunday morning.
The body was recovered after two hours of searching. The body was identified by the family members and was sent to the district hospital for post mortem examination. Meanwhile, members of the media fraternity, local activists and citizens have sought an impartial inquiry into the incident and demanded that the facts ascertained should be made public. According to the district administration, the investigation agencies are probing the entire matter to ascertain the reasons for the incident and the situations related to it.
Pratap was known for raising public interest issues and those related to irregularities in governmental departments on the digital media. He had recently filed a report on the purported lack of medicines and improper facilities in the Uttarkashi district hospital, which was widely shared on social media. His family had earlier claimed that he was receiving threats after broadcasting this report.
