Bangladeshi TV journalist Sarah Rahanuma found dead in Dhaka lake

The body of Sarah Rahanuma, a 32-year-old TV journalist, was recovered from Hatirjheel Lake in Dhaka early Wednesday morning.

Rahanuma, a newsroom editor at Gazi TV, a Bengali-language satellite and cable channel, was pronounced dead at Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH) around 2:00 am, news agency PTI reported.

Inspector Bachchu Mia from the DMCH police outpost confirmed the recovery of Rahanuma’s body, which was initially spotted by pedestrians, who later transported it to the hospital.

Prior to her death, Rahanuma had posted a cryptic message on Facebook Tuesday night, tagging one Fahim Faysal: “It was nice having a friend like you. God bless you always. Hope, you’ll fulfill all your dreams soon. I know we had a lot of planning together. Sorry, can’t fulfill our plans. May God bless you in every aspect of your life.” In a previous post, she wrote, “It is better to die than to live a life akin to death.”

The police have announced an investigation into the circumstances of her death.

Political figures have reacted to the incident, with Sajeeb Wazed Joy, son of ousted prime minister Sheikh Hasina, suggesting a political motive. Taking to X, Joy described the death as “another brutal attack on freedom of expression in Bangladesh,” highlighting that Gazi TV is a secular news channel and its owner, Golam Dastagir Gazi, had recently been arrested.

Rahanuma’s husband, Sayed Shuvro, told Somoy News that Sarah did not return home after work the previous night. He was later informed that she had allegedly jumped into the lake. Shuvro added that Sarah had been contemplating divorce and they had planned to finalise it, but the current political situation   had delayed the move.