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For 15 years I have reported on Bangladesh’s political upheavals, democratic struggles and shifting centres of power. Yet never have I felt the personal cost of independent journalism more acutely than I do today. 

The irony is hard to miss. 

The retaliation I now face comes not under the authoritarian order that ruled for a decade and a half, but in the aftermath of a popular uprising that promised democracy, accountability and freedom.

I am a senior journalist based in Dhaka, serving as a special correspondent, assignment desk editor and television talk-show host. I am also the author of Echoes of Red July: The 2024 Uprising in Bangladesh, a reflection on the mass uprising of July 2024 that transformed Bangladesh’s political landscape.

During that movement, I sought to document events as faithfully as possible. When restrictions limited what could be aired, I turned to my personal platforms to report public grievances, demands and aspirations.

Like many journalists, I believed that moments of national upheaval demanded greater scrutiny, not less.

For years I hosted Ekhon Prokash, a widely watched political talk show featuring voices from across the political spectrum – government representatives, opposition politicians and civil-society figures. The programme’s purpose was straightforward: to place competing arguments before the public and allow viewers to judge for themselves.

That changed on February 1, 2026. I........

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