National Daily Samakal authorities have paid the outstanding dues of late journalist Pulak Chatterjee, the newspaper’s former Barishal bureau chief, by issuing a Tk10 lakh cheque to his family.
The money was deposited into the bank account of his wife, Priyanka Chatterjee, on Monday, three days after his death.
Suman Chowdhury, the current Barishal bureau chief of Samakal, confirmed the information.
Police recovered the hanging body of the 57-year-old senior journalist from inside the Samakal office on Parara Road in Barishal city on Friday evening.
Pulak was relieved from his position at Samakal in May 2023. He remained unemployed after losing his job and was enduring deep mental distress, according to his relatives.
Before his death, Pulak left behind five notes. In one note addressed to his long-time colleague Suman Chowdhury, he requested him to recover his unpaid dues kept at the Samakal office and hand the money over to his family.
After the note circulated on social media, Samakal authorities faced widespread criticism.
In another note addressed to his wife and daughter, Pulak wrote, “Forgive me. Nothing in this world stops for anyone.”
According to his family, he also made an earnest plea to his younger brother, Deepak Chatterjee, to protect and care for his wife and child.
Pulak had previously served as the general secretary of the Barishal Press Club and remained actively involved in Barishal’s media arena for a long period.
He left behind his wife, Priyanka Chatterjee, and only daughter, Prokriti.
Law enforcement authorities initially suspect that Pulak died by suicide. However, police said detailed information about the death would be known after verifying the authenticity of the recovered notes and receiving the autopsy report.
