Rajeev Pratap: Journalist Who Went Missing & Later Found Dead In Uttarkashi River
Rajeev Pratap, a 36-year-old journalist from Uttarakhand, went missing on September 16. According to his wife, Muskan, he had left for Gangori-Bhatwari that evening but never returned.
She said she last spoke to him around 11 pm. In that call, he had sounded nervous and uneasy. He had recently uploaded reports highlighting alleged lapses at a district hospital and a school in Uttarkashi. Soon after, he began receiving threats from unknown individuals who wanted him to take down the videos.
Muskan told reporters that her husband had confided in her about the threats. She claimed that he feared for his life and had said people were after him. Around 11:50 pm, she sent him a message, but it remained undelivered. That was the last time she heard from him.
On September 18, police said Pratap was spotted sitting alone in his Alto car near a bus stop around 11.20 pm. The very next morning, his car was discovered badly damaged in the Bhagirathi River near Gangori. The vehicle was pulled out, but there was no trace of him. His family filed a missing person report immediately.
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For ten long days, his whereabouts remained unknown. Finally, on September 29, his body was found at Joshiyara Barrage in Uttarkashi district.
Since the very beginning, Rajeev’s family has alleged that his disappearance was not accidental. They strongly believe that he was abducted and killed because of his fearless reporting.
His wife Muskan, has been vocal, stating that he could not have simply “fallen off the road” as the police suggest. She insists that he was being targeted and silenced for exposing irregularities in public institutions.
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Rajeev was an alumnus of the Indian Institute of Mass Communication (IIMC) and ran a digital news channel called Delhi Uttarakhand Live. He was known for reporting fearlessly on local issues, corruption, and governance lapses. Friends and fellow journalists describe him as hardworking and committed to his craft, someone who believed in speaking truth to power, even if it came at personal risk.
Team IIMCAA regrets to inform that Mr. Rajiv Pratap (HJ, Delhi | 2020-21) has died in mysterious circumstances in Uttarakhand. He was missing since 18th September and his body has been recovered from Joshiyara Barrage in Uttarkashi today. The car, he was driving, was found in the… https://t.co/5GYnoQ0CJo pic.twitter.com/c0tERKDxmO
— IIMC Alumni Association (@IIMCAA) September 28, 2025
Superintendent of Police Sarita Dobhal has said that, as per preliminary investigations, Rajeev might have met with an accident. According to the police, his car slipped off the road into the Bhagirathi River. This theory, however, has not convinced the family, who continue to demand a deeper probe into the circumstances leading to his death.
