Geneva: As Bangladesh moves toward its national election scheduled for 12 February 2026 amid mounting political unrest, the country has recorded the killing of a journalist, drawing sharp condemnation from international media rights groups.

Journalist Rana Pratap Bairagi, 45, was shot dead on 5 January in Jessore district of southern Bangladesh. According to local media reports, three assailants opened fire on Bairagi, hitting him in the head. His body was later found at Kopalia Bazar, with his throat also slit. Bairagi was the editor of the Bengali daily Dainik BD Khabar.

The Press Emblem Campaign (PEC), a global media safety and rights organisation, strongly condemned the killing and demanded a thorough and impartial investigation to identify and punish those responsible. PEC said Bairagi is the first journalist to be killed worldwide in 2026.

Bairagi hailed from Arua village in the Jessore area and was the son of a Hindu schoolteacher from Keshabpur upazila. Apart from his journalistic work, he also ran an ice-making factory at Kapalia market.

PEC president Blaise Lempen urged Nobel laureate Dr. Muhammad Yunus, head of Bangladesh’s interim government, to personally intervene and ensure justice for the bereaved family. He stressed that attacks on journalists strike at the core of press freedom and democratic accountability.

PEC’s South and Southeast Asia representative Nava Thakuria noted that Bangladesh has recently drawn international attention due to socio-political turmoil and reported attacks on religious minority communities in the Muslim-majority nation of over 170 million people.

Thakuria also pointed out that Bangladesh witnessed the killing of five media professionals last year. They were 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, especially during the sensitive pre-election period.

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