Bangladesh: veteran journalist Bibhuranjan Sarkar found dead a day after he went missing, had sent his ‘final article’ to news portal before leaving home
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Veteran Bangldaeshi journalist-columnist Bibhuranjan Sarkar, who went missing a day ago, was found dead on Friday. Police recovered the body of 71-year-old Sarkar from Meghna River in Munshiganj.
He had been reported missing since Thursday morning. Police said that the body was found floating in the river near Kalagachhia. They matched it with the photograph of the missing journalist submitted by Ramna police, and informed the station immediately.
Bibhuranjan Sarkar worked as Senior Assistant Editor at Ajker Patrika and contributed regular columns to various media outlets. Before leaving home on Thursday, he sent his ‘last article’ to bdnews24.com, adding in a footnote, “This may be published as my final piece.”
Sarkar was missing after he left his residence on Friday morning saying that he was going to Ajker Patrika office. He had left his phone behind. When he didn’t return by evening, his family called the newspaper office, and were told that he didn’t went to the office that day.
After searching in various places and finding nothing, Bibhuranjan’s son Rit Sarkar filed a report at Ramna Police Station at night.
His final article, titled “Khola Chithi”, or Open Letter, was published in the opinion section of bdnews24.com on Friday. In the open letter, he wrote how he was labelled pro-Awami League despite receiving no benefit from the Sheikh Hasina government.
He wrote about his regrets, highlighting the financial uncertainty he faced during his long journalism career, his and his son’s illnesses, and the lack of proper appreciation for his doctor daughter and engineer son.
He wrote, “I have no success stories in my life. Even as a journalist, I have not been able to grasp any solid ground by trying to do so. I have a big deficiency somewhere or the other. I have not been able to overcome this deficiency.”
Given the circumstances, it has been speculated that the journalist died by suicide.
Born in 1954, Bibhuranjan Sarkar studied in the Bengali department of Dhaka University. He was a student union leader and was also involved in the leftist movement.
