Slain journalist warned SP of threat to life

“I am sitting here with you right now, but I have received a message saying they are waiting on the road with two firearms. One of them is a 9mm pistol, and they have five bullets. They are waiting to shoot me when I leave. But I am not going that way today.”

These were the words of Netrokona journalist Lutfozzaman Fakir, also known as Alif Fakir, 44, who warned the district’s superintendent of police about threats to his life on November 30, 2025, nearly 11 months ago.

Alif was the Netrokona correspondent for private IPTV channel Ruposhi Bangla. He also ran a Facebook page called “Detective Article”, where he regularly published investigative reports on local crime, drug peddling, smuggling and corruption.

A video of the exchange between Alif and the SP was obtained by this correspondent, who attended the meeting.

In the presence of fellow journalists, whom he asked to bear witness, Alif described threats from armed criminals and expressed fears of an attack.

His fears ultimately came true.

Around 8:00pm on Thursday (October 15), unidentified assailants shot him dead as he was returning from a tea stall near his in-laws’ house in the Telanjia area of Netrokona’s Durgapur upazila.

Md Tarikul Islam took charge as Netrokona’s superintendent of police on November 29, 2025. The following day, he met journalists from across the district at his office.

In the video, Alif is seen describing threats to his life and urging action against armed criminal gangs operating in the border upazilas of Durgapur and Kalmakanda.

“...They are waiting on the road with two firearms. One of them is a 9mm pistol, and they have five bullets. They are waiting to shoot me when I leave...”

- Alif Fakir   told police super around 11 months ago

“I report on organised crime, and my colleagues in this district will certainly attest to that. I cover notorious armed gangs operating here, from drug trafficking to other criminal activities.”

He warned that law and order could deteriorate without effective action. “These organised gangs will wreak havoc in your district. Whether it is crude bombs, explosives or drugs, they are involved in it all.”

Alif also said he had been assisting law enforcement agencies by providing information about criminals.

Frustrated by the lack of action and fearing for his safety, he said, “I am saying this in front of everyone, with them as witnesses. If these accused persons are not arrested, I will either have to leave the country or become a bigger criminal than them. Now, you have to make that decision.”

When the SP asked whether police had failed to arrest the criminals or had been unable to do so, Alif replied, “There has been no attempt whatsoever to arrest them.”

He also explained that although his ancestral home was in Kalmakanda upazila, he had been living with his wife and child at his in-laws’ house in Durgapur after marrying a woman from an ethnic minority community.

He also feared for the safety of his in-laws and other family members. “They could set fire to this indigenous family’s houses at any time. They threatened to do so yesterday [November 29, 2025] but failed. Today, perhaps because I am not there, they may try again. This could trigger communal violence in the area.”

Alif’s warnings have now resurfaced, raising questions about what steps were taken to protect him. However, investigators have yet to establish whether the armed gangs he mentioned were linked to his killing.

Earlier, on November 10 last year, assailants hacked and injured Alif near Teribazar ghat on the Someshwari River in Durgapur upazila. They also threatened a colleague of his with a weapon and chased him when he tried to intervene.

‘HE LAST MET ME ON OCT 5’

Speaking to The Daily Star yesterday, Netrokona Superintendent of Police Tarikul Islam said Alif had met Alif 10 days before his killing.

“He last met me on October 5. He gave me the names of several people and said they were planning a major operation along the border and needed my cooperation. I assured him of my support.

“He regularly provided me with information, so I did not ask about his sources. That was my last meeting with him. When I heard about his killing on October 15, I was shocked to the core.”

Asked what steps police had taken to protect Alif after he reported threats to his life, the SP said, “When he told me about the threats at the meeting, I instructed the officer-in-charge of Durgapur Police Station to ensure his security at all times. I also asked Alif to inform us whenever he felt unsafe. But he did not report any further security concerns.”

Asked about the armed gangs Alif had mentioned, Tarikul said, “He [Alif] did not tell me about all the gangs, but he mentioned a young man named Emon. We arrested Emon and sent him to court, but he has since been released on bail. He is a charge-sheeted accused in a case and remains on our list of suspects. We are still looking for him.”

Asked about the investigation, the SP said, “It was a targeted killing, which is why the investigation is taking time. I am doing my best. We have some leads on the perpetrators and have formed an investigation committee. I hope we will get results very soon.”

GROUPS CONDEMN KILLING

The Quick Response Support Team (QRS) and the Human Rights Support Society (HRSS) have condemned Alif’s killing, demanding a prompt, impartial investigation and scrutiny of why earlier threats to his safety were not adequately addressed.

QRS, a platform of journalists, civil society representatives and academics, began operating on January 1, 2026, to monitor, document and respond to threats to journalists’ safety.

In separate statements issued yesterday, both groups noted that Alif had been attacked and critically injured on November 10, 2025, over his journalism.

Calling the murder a grave blow to press freedom and the rule of law, QRS said police had acknowledged the earlier attack and the threats to his safety.

“When a journalist who has reportedly faced previous attacks is killed, the authorities must establish not only who committed the crime, but also whether earlier threats were adequately addressed,” it said, adding that any failure by law enforcers to act on known risks must be examined as part of the investigation.

HRSS called for an impartial inquiry into any possible link between the November 2025 attack and Alif’s killing, as well as the steps authorities took if he had previously sought protection.

Both groups urged the government and the home ministry to immediately arrest those responsible for planning and carrying out the murder.

They also demanded adequate security, legal aid and compensation for Alif’s family and witnesses, along with a coordinated mechanism to assess risks and protect journalists covering crime and corruption nationwide.