Senior Journalist's Body Found Hanging in Newspaper Office, Murder or Suicide?
Bangladesh: The body of 57-year-old Pulak Chatterjee, former bureau chief and senior journalist of the daily "Samakal," was found hanging in his newsroom in Bangladesh's Barisal district. This incident has once again raised serious questions about the safety of minorities and journalists in Bangladesh. The incident has sparked deep grief and outrage among journalists and minority communities across the country.
Police recovered five notes from the scene. Confirming the incident, Al Mamun-ul Islam, officer-in-charge of the Barisal Kotwali Model Police Station, initially suspected suicide. However, the exact cause of death will only be known after the post-mortem report.
The Awami League has reacted sharply to the journalist's suspicious death. Citing photographs from the scene, the party said that both feet of the deceased were on the ground, knees bent, and the body was in an almost upright position. This is impossible, but rather a planned murder disguised as suicide.
Minority, Journalist, Bureau Chief: All Three Were Pulak’s Identities, and All Three Were a Threat to BNP-Jamaat
— Bangladesh Awami League (@albd1971) September 11, 2026
Anyone who sees the leaked photograph of Pulak Chatterjee’s body at the Samakal office would understand that this was not a natural death. Both feet are on the… pic.twitter.com/cGeeILz5Hg
The Awami League compared the incident to the dark period between 2001 and 2006, when minorities in the country were ruled by the Nationalist Party (BNP) and Jamaat-e-Islami coalition, when widespread atrocities were committed against them. The same situation is being witnessed again in 2026. According to the party, Pulak Chatterjee witnessed the atrocities of that era with his own eyes and was a witness to them as a journalist.
He was both a minority and a journalist, so this cowardly attempt to silence his voice forever is actually a conspiracy to bury that entire history.
The Dhaka Tribune, quoting local sources, reported that Chatterjee was removed from the Samakal newspaper about three years ago. He also served as the general secretary of the Barisal Press Club and previously worked for another newspaper, Jugantar, for several years. He is survived by his wife and a daughter.
