The body of senior journalist and political analyst Bibhuranjan Sarkar, who had been missing since Thursday, August 21, 2025, was found in the Meghna River, police have confirmed.

Deputy Commissioner of Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) Ramna Division, Md. Masud Alam, verified the development at 5:44 PM on Friday. He stated, "The body was found in the Meghna River." He further added, "Through CCTV footage, we observed that he got onto a motorcycle. The investigation is ongoing, and finding the motorcycle could unravel many mysteries."

Prior to this, Bibhuranjan's son, Rito Sarkar, filed a General Diary (GD) at Ramna Police Station on Thursday night, reporting his father’s disappearance. The GD stated that Bibhuranjan left their Siddheshwari residence at around 10 AM on Thursday to go to his office at Ajker Patrika, leaving his mobile phone at home. When he did not return by 9 PM, Rito contacted Ajker Patrika editor Kamrul Hasan and learned that Bibhuranjan had not reached the office. Despite extensive searches in various locations, no trace of him was found.

Bibhuranjan Sarkar, serving as Senior Assistant Editor at Ajker Patrika, sent an email to bdnews24.com at 9:15 AM on Thursday, requesting that his submission be published as his final piece. In the article, titled "Open Letter," he detailed his family’s financial struggles and the challenges faced in getting his writings published in several media outlets amid the changed political landscape. He also mentioned facing trouble from the government due to one of his articles.

In the open letter, Bibhuranjan wrote, "For my unwavering stance in favor of the Liberation War and non-communal democratic politics, I am still labeled with the ‘Awami’ tag. However, even during the Awami League’s tenure, I received no tangible rewards—no plot of land, no lucrative job. Instead, prolonged periods of unemployment have increased my debt burden. Family responsibilities, coupled with health issues, keep me under constant pressure. I have been working at Ajker Patrika for four years without promotion or salary increment, while the cost of living continues to rise daily. How can a newspaper stand for justice when there is injustice within its own walls?"

He further noted, "Since the government changed last year, the state of the media has deteriorated further. The chief adviser has called for open criticism, but the press department is far from open-minded. Media executives live in constant fear of receiving calls to pull articles or news. One of my articles led to Ajker Patrika’s online section being reprimanded. Another article by Mazharul Islam Babla faced similar backlash. What was objectionable in Babla’s piece? He wrote that the army sent Sheikh Hasina to Delhi in a military helicopter and that, apart from police shootings, militants also killed people through a meticulously designed plan. Where is the falsehood in this? Did Sheikh Hasina secretly flee by renting a helicopter? If Hasina’s police killed students and citizens, who killed the police, and how? It is entirely inappropriate to target a newspaper for such writing. All of this has made my position at the newspaper extremely precarious. The well-meaning acting editor, unable to handle the pressure, has stopped communicating with me. What do I do now? Which path do I take?"

Background: Born in 1954, Bibhuranjan Sarkar began his journalism career in the late 1960s as a rural correspondent for Dainik Azad while still a school student. A graduate of Dhaka University’s Bangla Department, he worked with various prominent national dailies and weeklies, serving as editor of Dainik Matribhumi and Saptahik Chaltipatra, and as executive editor of Saptahik Mridubhashan. During the 1980s anti-Ershad movement, his political columns under the pseudonym ‘Tarikh Ibrahim’ in Saptahik Jayjaydin gained significant popularity.

Currently employed at Ajker Patrika, Bibhuranjan was known for his incisive columns on political analysis, government critique, and human rights, published regularly in various media outlets. However, Ajker Patrika authorities stated that he had been on a seven-day leave since August 16, 2025.