Reading Bhibu Ranjan Sarkar’s final letter sends a chill through your chest. A seventy-one-year-old man, a journalist who held a pen his entire life, wrote the day before his death about his fear, his restlessness, and the ominous call he felt approaching. The next day, his body was pulled from the Meghna River. This is the face of the Bangladesh that has taken shape over the past one and a half years under Muhammad Yunus and his so-called interim government.
When an elected government was burned and toppled in the violence of July and August 2024, many thought something new might emerge. But what happened instead? The country collapsed. Law and order vanished. Journalism vanished. People’s sense of security vanished. The man once celebrated for winning a Nobel Prize, the man the nation used to take pride in, has pushed the country into a darkness from which no path back is visible.
You can understand everything just by looking at the condition of journalists. Asaduzzaman Tuhin was hacked to death in the middle of the road. Anwar Hossain Sourav was beaten in front of the police. Helal Hossain Kabir was assaulted along with his mother. Bahar Raihan was stabbed in the leg. And Shah Alam Khandaker was outright murdered. Are these signs of a civilized society? Signs of democracy? Or is this the Bangladesh Yunus and his circle claimed they wanted to build?
It isn’t just killings and beatings. The entire media community has been forced into such fear that no one dares to speak openly. The Human Rights Support Society reports that from January to June 2025 alone, 257 journalists were subjected to torture or abuse. There were 152 attacks. One hundred eleven were injured. And cases? Charges have been filed against 266 journalists. Even murder cases have been lodged. Is this the freedom of criticism the chief advisor once preached? His press wing calls media houses to order stories taken down, and executives tremble, unsure of what will come next. Can anyone call this a free press?
And the most disturbing part is that the fundamentalist groups that were once restrained by law are now enjoying free rein. Hizb ut-Tahrir, Hefazat-e-Islam, Jamaat—members of these groups now move across the country without restriction. They threaten journalists and attempt to shut down reports by invoking religious sentiment. Maulana Mahfuzul Haque openly urges the government to “reform” the media, meaning to control it on their terms. Hasnat Abdullah says that anyone who mentions Sheikh Hasina must call her a criminal, or else the media will face action. What sort of democracy is this?
Meanwhile, what is Yunus’s government doing? They have released more than 300 militants and extremists on bail. Shafiur Rahman Farabi, sentenced to life for the murder of Avijit Roy, has been given bail. Nasir Uddin, known as Shibir Nasir, has been freed after 26 years. Ansarullah Bangla Team chief Mufti Jasimuddin Rahmani is out. Mamunul Haque has been acquitted in a rape case. And the most shameful part is that Yunus has given these extremists positions within his administration. Hizb ut-Tahrir founder Nasimul Gani is now home secretary. Mahfuz Alam is adviser to the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting. A.F.M. Khalid Hossain is adviser on religious affairs. The country has been handed over to extremists.
Yunus and his government claim they are reforming the country and restoring democracy. But what is actually happening? Every day police raids detain hundreds of people, yet crime does not fall. The army is deployed for joint operations, yet people do not feel safe. Journalists are being murdered while extremists are being freed. What kind of governance is this? What kind of reform?
Bangladesh Bank’s Financial Intelligence Unit is scrutinizing the bank accounts of 85 journalists. Why? Isn’t this another tool to intimidate the press? Every major newspaper and television station is now trapped in this harassment. Kaler Kantho, Bangladesh Pratidin, Samakal, Ekattor TV—no one is spared. And all of it is done under Yunus’s direction. The man who once won a Nobel Prize for providing microloans to the poor is now freezing journalists’ bank accounts to silence them.
A country that once stood on the ideals of the Liberation War, that once spoke of secularism, is now branding pro-Liberation War citizens as “Awami” and eliminating them. In his final letter, Bhibu Ranjan Sarkar wrote of this pain. He said that even though he stood for the spirit of the Liberation War, he was abused as Awami. What kind of country is this? Is this the Bangladesh for which millions sacrificed their lives? For which mothers and sisters lost their honor?
The way Yunus and his allies took power was through a carefully planned coup. The riots of July were engineered. Foreign money was funneled in. Islamist militant groups were mobilized. A section of the military was brought on board. And then an elected government was overthrown. This is not democracy. This is a calculated conspiracy. And now we are witnessing the result: a country on the verge of collapse.
There is no rule of law in Bangladesh today. People are unsafe on the street and unsafe at home. Journalists are afraid to pick up their pens. Media owners wait for the phone call ordering which report to pull. Extremists roam freely, and hardliners sit in government. This is no longer a country. It has become a jungle. And this jungle was created by Muhammad Yunus and his administration.
Reporters Without Borders says there was hope for improvement when the interim government took over, but journalists’ safety remains unprotected. In reality, the situation has become worse. At least before, there was a functioning government and security forces trying to maintain some order. Now even that is gone. Everyone is doing whatever they want. Whoever holds the stick or the knife holds the power.
Bangladesh is no longer Bangladesh. A country that once told stories of progress, a country whose economy was rising, a country whose people dared to dream, has now become a nightmare. In just eighteen months Yunus has destroyed everything. He has dismantled institutions, drowned the rule of law, and crushed democracy. Above all, he has drained people of hope.
Journalists continue to fight on. They know they may be attacked, sued, even killed. Still they write. Still they try to tell the truth. But for how long? How long can a professional work while risking their life? How long can families live in fear that their husband, father, or son might not return from work?
When a veteran journalist like Bhibu Ranjan Sarkar ends up floating in the Meghna, it becomes clear how deep this darkness has grown. He sensed something was coming, which is why he sent his final message. But no one could save him. No one could protect him. Because the very government meant to protect him has become his enemy.
Muhammad Yunus may remain in history, but not as a pioneer of microcredit. He will be remembered as the man who destroyed his own country, who strangled journalism, who buried democracy, who empowered extremists. That will be his legacy. And the people of Bangladesh, living in fear, will remember how a beautiful country was turned into a nightmare.