The body of senior journalist Bhiburanjan Sarkar was recovered from the Meghna River in Munshiganj on Friday afternoon. Sarkar, 71, was the senior assistant editor of the daily Ajker Patrika and regularly contributed columns to various news outlets. Journalist’s body recovered.
Bhiburanjan had gone missing the day before. Police from the Kolaghachia river outpost in Narayanganj confirmed that the body of an elderly man was seen floating in the river and later matched with the photograph provided by his family to the Ramna Police Station’s missing person report.
Deputy Commissioner Masud Alam of Ramna Police said, “The body has been recovered. The family has identified it, and legal procedures have been completed.”
Bhiburanjan’s final column, titled “Open Letter,” was sent to Ajker Kotha and Joy Banglar Joy on Thursday morning at 9:15 a.m. In it, he expressed despair over his and his son’s health, his daughter’s failure in higher-level exams, his son’s unemployment after graduating from BUET, and the family’s financial struggles. He noted in the footnote, “You may publish this as my final piece.”
According to the family, Bhiburanjan left his home on Thursday morning at 10 a.m., intending to go to the office, leaving his mobile phone at home. When he did not arrive at the office and could not be reached, his son, Rit Sarkar, filed a missing person report at Ramna Police Station that evening.
Chiranjan Sarkar, his younger brother, wrote on social media, “Our uncle left for the office as usual, but did not reach there and could not be found anywhere. We were deeply worried.”
The journalist community and his colleagues have expressed profound grief over his death, calling it a significant loss for the country’s media environment.
Police have stated that the exact cause of death is yet to be confirmed, and all necessary legal investigations are ongoing. The incident has also raised concerns within the journalist community about safety and the freedom of expression in Bangladesh. Journalist’s body recovered.
