PIONEER EDGE NEWS SERVICE/Uttarkashi
Locals and some family members of digital journalist Rajeev Pratap whose body was found in the Joshiyara barrage reservoir on Sunday, have questioned the official explanation for the death. Pratap had gone missing on September 18. The police stated that the death was the result of a road accident.
A CCTV camera footage shows him having dinner with his friend near the Uttarkashi bus station on the night of September 18 and then he drives away in his friend’s car towards Gangori bridge. He had been missing since that night. The car was found in the Bhagirathi river on the next day with Pratap’s bag and one slipper. After consistent search by the authorities, his body was recovered on September 28.
According to the police, the post mortem report shows internal injuries in the chest and stomach and no signs of violence. It is possible that the injuries were sustained as a result of a road accident. However, the family members have questioned the limited bloating of the body despite it being in the river for about 10 days.
They had also questioned the lack of injuries despite the body being carried away in the swift flow of the river which also contains rocks and boulders. Meanwhile, the Nationalist Union of Journalists (NUJ Uttarakhand) has sought the formation of a special investigation team to probe the journalist’s death and ascertain the exact cause for it.
