A three-member fact-finding team was on Thursday constituted by Press Council chief Justice Markandey Katju to inquire into the murder of journalist Chandrika Rai and his family in Madhya Pradesh's Umariya District.

The three-member team fact-finding team would be headed by Kosuri Amarnath and include Rajeev Ranjan Nag and Kalyan Barooah, a Council statement said. All the three are members of the Council.

The task before the fact-finding team is "to investigate into the murder of journalist Shri Chandrika Rai, and his three family members in Umariya District, Madhya Pradesh and submit a report to the Press Council at the earliest," the statement said. 42-year-old Chandrika Rai and his wife Durga Rai (40), son Jalaj (19) and daughter Nisha (14) were found murdered in their family house last Saturday.

Rai had worked as a freelancer for dailies Navbharat and Hitavada, while his wife was a member of local District Council. The Press Council sought the cooperation of the state authorities on behalf of its team.

"The Madhya Pradesh authorities are being requested to give all cooperation to this committee so that it can discharge its duties effectively," the statement said.

The Council has been taking the issue of journalists' security with several state governments.