Dhaka, September 12 (Daily Kiran) : A senior Hindu journalist was found dead in the newsroom of the Bangladeshi daily ‘Samakal’ in Dhaka on September 12. The incident, which occurred at the Barisal bureau office, has reignited concerns about the safety of minority communities in the country.
Pulak Chatterjee, 57, who previously served as the Barisal bureau chief for ‘Samakal’, was discovered hanging inside the newspaper’s office on Friday evening. Al Mamun-ul Islam, the officer in charge of Barisal Kotwali Model Police Station, confirmed the incident, stating that the exact cause of death would be determined following a postmortem examination.
Local sources reported by the Dhaka Tribune indicate that Chatterjee was dismissed from ‘Samakal’ nearly three years ago. He had also served as the general secretary of the Barisal Press Club and worked for several years with the Bangladeshi newspaper ‘Jugantar’. He is survived by his wife and daughter.
The Awami League party expressed serious concerns on Saturday regarding the circumstances surrounding Chatterjee’s death. They claimed that leaked images of his body suggest it was not a natural death. The party questioned, “With both feet on the ground, knees bent, and the body almost upright, no one dies naturally in such a position. This clearly indicates premeditation. Who executed this, and why?”
Recalling the five-year rule of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and Jamaat-e-Islami coalition from 2001 to 2006, the Awami League noted that atrocities against minority communities are resurfacing in 2026. They cited incidents of attacks on temples, arson, land grabs, and horrific sexual violence against women, claiming that many Hindus are once again being forced to leave Bangladesh.
The party emphasized that Chatterjee was a journalist during that tumultuous period and bore witness to the events, documenting them. Silencing him would mean an attempt to erase history itself, they argued.
The Awami League accused the BNP and Jamaat of repeating past atrocities in 2026. They stated that the oppression of minorities, the persecution of journalists, and the suppression of dissenting voices were the three main pillars of their rule. They stressed that Chatterjee represented all three aspects: a minority, a journalist, and a bureau chief of ‘Samakal’. His death symbolizes an attack on all three.
Expressing deep concern over Chatterjee’s passing, the Awami League remarked, “He was a witness to the times when the BNP-Jamaat alliance allegedly stained Bangladesh’s soil with minority blood. Silencing him means silencing that testimony. However, the truth cannot be suppressed. Pulak’s death has brought that truth to light even more strongly.”
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