Former Samakal bureau chief found hanging at Barishal office

Police have recovered the body of senior journalist Pulak Chatterjee, president of the National Dailies Bureau Chief Association and former bureau chief of Bangladeshi newspaper Samakal, from the newspaper’s Barishal bureau office.

His body was recovered on Friday evening, 11 September, from the Samakal Barishal bureau office on Parara Road in the city.

Police initially suspect that Pulak Chatterjee died by suicide. However, Kotwali Model Police Station officer-in-charge Al Mamun-ul-Islam said the exact circumstances would become clear after an investigation.

Journalist Suman Chowdhury, who is currently in charge of the Samakal Barishal bureau, said Chatterjee had a key to the office and would often come there at night to spend time.

Chowdhury said he arrived at the office on Friday evening and found the door locked from the inside. When he looked through a small opening in the door, he saw Chatterjee hanging inside the office.

He immediately informed police. Officers later arrived at the scene, opened the door and recovered Chatterjee’s body.

News of the death of the senior journalist, who was known for his cheerful nature, spread quickly among journalists and media workers in Barishal, casting a pall of grief across the local media community.

Several senior local journalists said Chatterjee had been under severe financial distress after losing his job at Samakal.

Police are investigating the circumstances surrounding his death