Facebook flooded with grief over journalist Bibhuranjan Sarkar’s death

The death of journalist and columnist Bibhuranjan Sarkar has plunged Facebook into mourning, with many of his longtime colleagues sharing heartfelt tributes and countless others expressing their grief.

His open letter, sent to an online news portal before his disappearance, left a profound impact on readers as it laid bare his struggles with personal and professional challenges.

On Friday (August 22) evening, multiple media outlets reported that the body of Bibhuranjan Sarkar was recovered from the Meghna River in Gazaria of Munshiganj. The news circulated widely on social media, plunging his colleagues into deep grief.

Citing a line from his open letter, Law Adviser Asif Nazrul wrote on Facebook: “Let sorrow be the last companion of my life. May every living being in this world be happy.”

Senior journalist J E Mamun expressed grief, writing: “After being missing for two days, the body of renowned columnist and journalist Bibhuranjan Sarkar was recovered from the Meghna River. With despair, frustration, and pain, he left us. His final writing reflected it all. Please forgive us, respected Bhibu Da!”

Former journalist and development worker Shariful Hasan also paid tribute: “One of Bangladesh’s finest columnists, Bibhuranjan Sarkar, is no more. Moments ago, I saw the news of his body being found in the Meghna River. He had been missing since Thursday. On the morning of August 21, he sent an open letter to bdnews24.com, ending with a note: ‘You may publish this as my last writing.’ According to his family, he left home around 10 am that day, saying he was heading to the office, but never returned. Police later recorded a missing person report. I knew him personally and grew up reading his work. Most recently, he was serving as Senior Assistant Editor at Ajker Patrika. I occasionally contributed columns there, which gave us chances to talk. He was a truly good man—honest to the core. A Dhaka University alumnus, he wrote against dictatorship and held editorial roles. Journalists as honest as him are very rare in Bangladesh.”

In his final open letter, Bibhuranjan Sarkar expressed his anguish over his and his son’s illnesses, his daughter—a medical graduate—failing a higher exam, his BUET graduate son’s unemployment, his own financial hardship, and the pressures he endured following the publication of one of his columns. After reading his last letter, it becomes clear how this state, this society, and its people can break down an honest journalist.

Writer Amin Rashid wrote, “I had said Bhibu Da’s last piece was essentially a suicide note. Now I see the news that his body has been found.”

Journalist Ahsan Kabir wrote, “Farewell salute to dear Bhibu Da. You stood beside me at the beginning of my journalism journey, and your absence will remain an eternal sorrow. Da, you should not have left us like this.”

Sharifullah Kaiser Suman expressed, “The family may confirm this as Bhibu Da’s body, but in reality, it symbolizes the death of honest journalism.”

Writer Golam Mortuza Dhrubo posted, “The death, suffering, and helplessness of any journalist deeply grieve and torment me. I knew Bhibu Da through his words. Oh life, why are you so cruel, so merciless? Why must a life built on so many struggles end so easily?”