Barishal: Police recovered five 'suicide notes' after finding the hanging body of Pulak Chatterjee, former bureau chief of daily Samakal in Barishal, at the newspaper's bureau office in the city on Friday evening.
According to United News of Bangladesh, Pulak wrote separate notes addressed to his wife Priyanka and daughter Prakriti, younger brother Dipak Chatterjee and his wife Iti, Barishal Press Club General Secretary SM Zakir Hossain, Samakal's Barishal bureau in-charge Suman Chowdhury, and the administration. Barishal Metropolitan Police Commissioner Abu Raihan Muhammad Saleh confirmed the discovery of the notes and stated that the matter is under investigation.
In the note addressed to the administration, Pulak stated that nobody was responsible for his death, explaining that he could no longer endure the pain caused by his illness. He mentioned his efforts to remain healthy, including consulting doctors in Vellore, India, but noted that his illness had been a social setback. He requested that his body be handed over to his family without harassment.
In his note to his wife and daughter, Pulak sought their forgiveness and urged Prakriti to continue her studies and music lessons. He advised Priyanka to stay with his younger brother Dipak, assuring her that Dipak would look after her.
Addressing Zakir Hossain, Pulak reminisced about their shared memories and asked for assistance in ensuring his body is handed over to his family without issue. He also requested Zakir to occasionally look after his wife and daughter.
In the note to his brother Dipak and sister-in-law Iti, Pulak asked Dipak to take care of Priyanka and Prakriti, acknowledging the burden he was placing on him and seeking forgiveness.
In his message to longtime colleague Suman Chowdhury, Pulak expressed regret for any embarrassment caused. Having worked together for nearly 18 years, he asked Suman for forgiveness and requested that any money due to him from Samakal be recovered and given to his wife.
Police transferred the body from the Samakal Barishal bureau office to the morgue of Sher-e-Bangla Medical College Hospital around 9pm on Friday. Earlier that evening, local residents discovered the body hanging inside the newspaper's bureau office on Parara Road in the city. Police later arrived, broke open the office door, and recovered the body.
Pulak had served as the Barishal bureau chief of daily Samakal and was dismissed from the newspaper in May 2023. Despite his dismissal, he occasionally visited the Samakal office and spent time there. Pulak was also a former general secretary of the Barishal Press Club and a senior member of its current executive committee.