PEC Calls for Fair Probe into Mysterious Death of Uttarakhand Journalist

The global media safety and rights body, Press Emblem Campaign (PEC), has expressed grave concern over the mysterious death of Uttarakhand-based journalist Rajeev Pratap Singh and called for a thorough and impartial investigation into the circumstances surrounding his untimely demise.

The 36-year-old journalist’s body was recovered from the Joshiyara hydroelectric barrage on the Bhagirathi River on Sunday, September 28, ten days after he went missing on September 18. Initial reports suggest that Singh may have fallen into the river while driving his car. An alumnus of the Indian Institute of Mass Communication (IIMC), New Delhi, Singh ran the digital platform ‘Delhi Uttarakhand Live’, which primarily covered local issues in the state.

“We demand an authentic probe to identify the probable culprits involved with the incident that caused the death of Rajeev Pratap Singh and punish them under the law. Uttarakhand chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami should take personal interest in the case, as the scribe reportedly received multiple threats from various sources for his reports,” said Blaise Lempen, president of PEC.

The PEC highlighted that Singh’s death comes amid a worrying trend of attacks on journalists in the region and beyond. Earlier this month, the body had called for an impartial probe into violence against media workers in Nepal, where over 70 people, including 55 protesting youths, were killed during unrest on September 8-9, and more than 1,500 others were injured. Journalists from major outlets such as Kantipur Media Group and Annapurna Media Network were also targeted, leaving five reporters injured while covering the events on the ground.

PEC’s South and Southeast Asia representative Nava Thakuria noted that globally, 136 media workers have been killed so far in 2025. India has already lost journalists including Mukesh Chandrakar, Raghavendra Vajpayee, Sahadev Dey, Dharmendra Singh Chauhan, and Chintakayalu Naresh Kumar since January 1, while Bangladesh witnessed the deaths of Md Asaduzzaman Tuhin, Bibhuranjan Sarkar, Anwar Hossain, and Khandaker Shah Alam this year. In Nepal, journalist Suresh Rajak was killed during a pro-monarchy agitation in Kathmandu earlier this year.

ALSO READ: PEC Demands Fast Probe Into Journo-Deaths In Bangladesh