By Shishir Prashant 
PrashantNews
The death of a journalist whose body was found in a barrage in Uttarkashi district of Uttarakhand on Sunday (Sept 28) was accidental after heavy alcohol consumption, said a special investigation team (SIT).
The new evidence collected by the SIT based on CCTV recordings revealed that Journalist Rajiv Pratap (36), a resident of Dehradun, was drunk on the night of Sept 18 due to which the car he drove fell into the swollen Bhagirathi river, a police statement said on Thursday. Postmortem report also confirmed that the death of Pratap occurred due to internal injuries which occurred due to the car accident. These injuries occur when the body hits the steering of the car during an accident, the police statement said quoting experts.
Buckling under political pressure, the Uttarakhand police on Tuesday had set up a special investigation team (SIT) under a deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Uttarkashi Janak Singh Panwar to re-investigate the death of Pratap from all angles.
The body of Pratap, a digital journalist, was fished out from the Joshiada barrage on Sept 28. Pratap had gone missing under mysterious circumstances from Uttarkashi on the night of September 18. His Alto car was found on the bank of the Bhagirathi river the next day.
An FIR was registered and preliminary inquiry has indicated that the death was accidental.
Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami who expressed grief at his death, had ordered a thorough and impartial probe into his death.
DGP Deepam Seth on Tuesday said the case would be reinvestigated from different angles for which a SIT under the DSP has been set up. The team will review all details and evidence and submit a report immediately, DGP said.
The move to reinvestigate the case came after the leader of the opposition Rahul Gandhi demanded a thorough probe into the matter. “There should be an immediate, impartial, and transparent investigation into Rajiv Pratap Singh’s death, and the victim’s family should receive justice without delay,” the former Congress chief said. Earlier, family members of Pratap had called for detailed investigations to ascertain the exact cause of the death.