Fakir worked as the Netrokona correspondent for the private internet television channel Ruposhi Bangla. He also ran a Facebook page called ‘Detective Article’, where he published reports about alleged irregularities and criminal activity in the locality. His ancestral home was in Sunai village, in Pogla Union of Kolmakanda upazila.
According to eyewitnesses and local sources, Fakir had been at a shop in Telnajia Bazaar, where he drank tea before preparing to leave for home at around 8pm. Two young men reportedly arrived at the tea stall and asked for cigarettes. They then allegedly turned their attention to Fakir and fired several shots at him.
The sound of gunfire drew people from nearby areas towards the scene. The attackers reportedly fled on foot before getting on a motorcycle parked some distance away and escaping. Local residents rushed Fakir to an upazila health complex, where the duty doctor declared him dead.
Khandaker Shaker Ahmed Khan, officer-in-charge of Durgapur Police Station, said five bullet wounds were found on Fakir’s body, including injuries to his head, neck and chest.
Netrokona Superintendent of Police Mohammad Tarikul Islam headed towards the scene after receiving news of the incident. He said preliminary findings suggested that the killing may have been premeditated. Police are conducting operations to identify and arrest those involved, although no suspects had been publicly identified in the initial account of the incident.
The killing has drawn particular attention because Fakir had reportedly been attacked before. On 10 November last year, assailants allegedly hacked him and left him seriously injured near the Teribazar ferry landing on the Someshwari River. It remains unclear whether that earlier assault was connected to Thursday’s fatal attack. Police have not announced any confirmed link between the two incidents.
Fakir’s work reporting on alleged local wrongdoing and crime may be relevant to investigators as they seek to establish a motive, but no official finding has established why he was targeted. Determining whether the killing was connected to his journalistic activities will require evidence gathered during the investigation.
The immediate priorities for police are to identify the attackers, establish their movements before and after the shooting, and determine how they escaped. Witness accounts and any available evidence from the area may help investigators reconstruct the sequence of events.
The case also raises renewed concerns about the safety of journalists working at local level, particularly those reporting on alleged crime and irregularities within their communities. A thorough investigation will be essential to establish responsibility and ensure that those found to have committed the crime are brought before the courts. Until the investigation produces further evidence, the motive for Fakir’s killing remains unconfirmed.
