The body of veteran journalist and columnist Bibhuranjan Sarkar was recovered from the Meghna River in Narayanganj on Friday, a day after he went missing. Hours before his disappearance, the 71-year-old emailed what he described as his “final piece of writing.”
Police said the body was found in Kalagachhia Union under Bandar upazila. “We have already confirmed that it is the body of journalist Bibhuranjan Sarkar. The process of sending it for autopsy is underway. His family has been informed,” Inspector Saleh Uddin Pathan of Kalagachhia Naval Police Outpost told reporters.
Sarkar, senior assistant editor of the Bengali daily Ajker Patrika, left his Siddheshwari home on Thursday morning for his office in Banasree but never arrived. That night, his son filed a general diary with Ramna Police Station.
A final message
At around 9:15am on Thursday, Sarkar had emailed an article to bdnews24.com. At the end, he added a striking footnote: “You may publish this as my final piece of writing.”
Later that night, news of his disappearance reached his family. The next day, bdnews24.com published his article, titled Khola Chithi (“Open Letter”), in its opinion section.
Five decades in journalism
In his last piece, Sarkar reflected on his five-decade-long career, beginning as a schoolboy correspondent for Dainik Azad before going on to work at Sangbad, Rupali, and several weeklies. He served as executive editor of Mridubhashan, edited Dainik Matribhumi, and contributed widely under pseudonyms during politically repressive times.
“I have always written for truth, for people, and for my country,” he wrote. “But today, when I look at my own life, I feel that living by writing the truth is not easy.”
Sarkar recalled how his columns once drew praise from respected academics, politicians, and fellow writers. But in recent years, he said, newspapers began rejecting his work, while others left his dues unpaid.
Struggles and disillusionment
Beyond his career, Sarkar laid bare his personal struggles. He described living under heavy debt, weighed down by the high cost of medicine for his own chronic illnesses—arthritis, liver disease, diabetes, and heart problems—as well as treatment for his son. His monthly medical expenses alone, he wrote, amounted to over Tk20,000.
Despite his long career and unwavering political stance, he said he never benefited from the privileges or state support that many others in the profession enjoyed. He lamented low pay, lack of promotions, and what he saw as injustice within the industry itself.
“My fifty years in this profession have taught me that truth-telling often demands sacrificing personal comfort,” he wrote. “I never sought comfort. But neither did I imagine living my entire life in constant fear for my safety.”
A farewell in print
In his “open letter,” Sarkar expressed disappointment with the pressures on media in Bangladesh, where he said editors and journalists operated in fear of retaliation. He also reflected on his family’s difficulties, including his daughter’s stalled career in government service and his son’s struggle to find work after graduating from Buet.
The article carried the tone of farewell: “There is no story of success in my life. Let sorrow be my final companion in life. And may every living being in this world be happy.”
The full article can be read at this link: https://bangla.bdnews24.com/opinion/67e7d808d8f4