Geneva, Jan 07 (V7N) — Amid escalating political unrest ahead of Bangladesh’s national election scheduled for 12 February 2026, a journalist has been shot dead in the country, marking the first killing of a media professional worldwide this year.

The victim, Rana Pratap Bairagi (45), editor of the Bengali daily Dainik BD Khabar, was fatally attacked on 5 January in Kopalia Bazar, Jessore, in southern Bangladesh. According to local media reports, Bairagi was shot in the head by three assailants, and his body was later found with his throat slit.

Bairagi was a resident of Arua village under Keshabpur upazila and the son of a Hindu schoolteacher. Alongside his journalistic work, he also operated an ice-making factory in the Kopalia market area.

The Press Emblem Campaign (PEC), a global media safety and rights organization, strongly condemned the killing and demanded a thorough, impartial investigation to identify and prosecute those responsible. PEC President Blaise Lempen urged Nobel laureate Professor Muhammad Yunus, head of Bangladesh’s interim government, to take personal interest in ensuring justice for the bereaved family.

PEC’s South and Southeast Asia representative, Nava Thakuria, noted that Bangladesh has recently drawn international attention due to severe socio-political turmoil, during which several religious minority families have reportedly been targeted by extremist groups in the country of more than 170 million people.

The killing of Bairagi adds to a troubling record of violence against journalists in Bangladesh. In 2025 alone, at least five media professionals were murdered: Assaduzzaman Tuhin of Dainik Pratidiner Kagoj, Bibhuranjan Sarkar of Ajker Patrika, Wahed-uz-Zaman Bulu of Dainik Ajker Kagoj, Khandahar Shah Alam of Dainik Matrijagat, and Imdadul Haque Milon of Bartaman Somoy.

PEC reiterated its call on Bangladeshi authorities to guarantee the safety of journalists and uphold press freedom by ensuring swift justice in all cases of violence against media workers.

END/PR/SMA/