A Hindu senior journalist, Pulak Chatterjee, was found dead inside the Samakal newspaper office in Bangladesh’s Barisal district. His death has raised concerns over minority safety and journalist security, while Awami League has alleged possible foul play and called for investigation.
Amid growing concerns over the safety of minority communities and journalists in Bangladesh, senior Hindu journalist Pulak Chatterjee was found dead inside the bureau office of Bangladeshi newspaper Samakal in Barisal district, local media reported.
The 57-year-old journalist, who had previously served as the Barisal bureau chief of Daily Samakal, was found hanging inside the newspaper’s office on Friday evening. His death has prompted questions over the circumstances surrounding the incident, with the opposition Awami League alleging that the case may involve foul play.
Barisal Kotwali Model Police Station officer-in-charge Al Mamun-ul Islam confirmed the incident and said that the exact cause of Chatterjee’s death would be established after an autopsy.
“The exact cause of death will be known after the autopsy report,” the police officer said.
According to local sources cited by Bangladeshi newspaper Dhaka Tribune, Chatterjee had been dismissed from his position at Samakal around three years ago. He had also held the post of general secretary of the Barisal Press Club and had worked for several years with another Bangladeshi newspaper, Jugantor.
Chatterjee is survived by his wife and daughter.
The circumstances of his death have drawn particular attention from Bangladesh’s Awami League. On Saturday, the party questioned the circumstances in which the journalist’s body was discovered and alleged that the available photograph of the body raised doubts about whether the death was a suicide.
The Awami League argued that the position of Chatterjee’s body appeared unusual. Referring to the photograph, the party said that both feet appeared to be on the ground, while his knees were bent and his body remained almost upright. Based on these observations, it questioned whether the scene had been staged and called for answers about who might have been responsible.
However, the precise circumstances surrounding Chatterjee’s death remain subject to the police investigation and autopsy findings. No definitive conclusion about the cause or manner of death has been established at this stage.
The Awami League also linked Chatterjee’s death to wider concerns over the treatment of minority communities and journalists in Bangladesh. Recalling the period of BNP-Jamaat alliance rule between 2001 and 2006, the party alleged that attacks against minorities and suppression of dissent were once again becoming visible in the country in 2026.
The party claimed that attacks on temples and homes, alleged land grabbing, violence against women and the displacement of members of the Hindu community were part of a troubling pattern that it said was re-emerging.
According to the Awami League, Chatterjee had worked as a journalist during that earlier period and had reported on events affecting minority communities. The party described him as both a journalist and a witness to that period, alleging that his death could amount to an attempt to silence an important voice.
“Silencing him means attempting to silence history,” the party said in its statement.
The Awami League further accused BNP and Jamaat of repeating what it described as the conditions of 2001–06, alleging that minority suppression, pressure on journalists and the silencing of dissent were central features of that period.
The party placed particular emphasis on Chatterjee’s identity as a member of the Hindu minority and his professional role as a journalist and former Samakal bureau chief. It alleged that these factors made his death especially significant amid the broader debate over minority rights and press freedom in Bangladesh.
The Awami League called for the truth behind Chatterjee’s death to be established, stressing that the investigation and autopsy would be crucial in determining what happened inside the Barisal newsroom.
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For now, police have not publicly confirmed allegations of foul play, and the final cause of death is expected to depend on the autopsy and ongoing investigation. Chatterjee’s death has nevertheless intensified concerns surrounding the safety of journalists and minority communities in Bangladesh.
