Kolkata Journalist’s ‘Fundamentalist’ Claim Over Salman Muqtadir Studio Attack Sparks Debate
Dhaka | September 27, 2026
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A social media post by Kolkata-based journalist and former Republic Bangla presenter Mayukh Ranjan Ghosh has, however, drawn particular attention after he described those behind the attack as “fundamentalists”, even as Bangladeshi police have so far linked the incident to a land dispute.
In a post on his verified Facebook page, Ghosh praised the design of Muqtadir’s studio, saying he liked the studio’s set and that, had it been located in Kolkata, he would have considered renting it himself.
He also expressed concern over the attack, saying he was disturbed by the fact that such an incident had occurred in Dhaka, which he described as being only about 400 kilometres from Kolkata. He warned that a rise in what he called “fundamentalists” in Kolkata could potentially lead to similar incidents there.
Ghosh urged Muqtadir to remain strong and called on Bangladeshi content creators to speak out over the attack.
His comments have since prompted debate, particularly over his decision to characterise the perpetrators as “fundamentalists” before investigators established any ideological or religious motive.
Police investigation points to land dispute
The available findings from Bangladeshi authorities so far present a different picture.
Police say the attack was connected to a dispute over land involving New Gini Properties Ltd and another party. Assistant Commissioner of Dhaka Metropolitan Police’s Cantonment Zone, Nazmul Alam, said there was no evidence at that stage that the incident was an extortion attack and that Muqtadir’s studio itself was not the intended target. (The Business Standard)
According to police, people involved in the property dispute attempted to gain access to the disputed land. During the confrontation, the building where Muqtadir’s studio was located was also vandalised.
The Home Minister, Salahuddin Ahmed, separately said a preliminary investigation indicated that the incident stemmed from a dispute over roughly 35 kathas of land between New Gini Properties and a party linked to a retired senior military officer. (BSS)
Police have not publicly identified religious extremism as a motive for the attack.
Muqtadir initially described it as an extortion-related attack
Muqtadir, who was away from Dhaka when the incident occurred, initially said his studio had been attacked after an alleged refusal to pay extortion money.
In a video posted on his verified Facebook page, he showed extensive damage inside the studio, including broken furniture, recording equipment and other production facilities. He also indicated that the attack might have been directed at the property owners and that his studio had been caught up in the dispute. (The Business Standard)
Other reports said cameras, recording equipment and studio property were damaged or taken during the incident. Muqtadir later acknowledged that he may not have been the principal target of the attack. (United News Bangladesh)
Police subsequently said they had found no evidence to substantiate an extortion motive and instead linked the incident to the underlying property dispute. (The Business Standard)
Four arrested as investigation continues
The police investigation has since resulted in arrests.
As of September 27, police had arrested four people in connection with the attack. They identified Shahriar as an alleged main planner, along with Md Mamun, Aslam and Munna. Cantonment Police said the investigation was continuing and that further arrests could follow. (The Daily Star)
Earlier in the day, police had reported detaining three people in connection with the incident. Subsequent investigative developments brought the number of arrests to four. (The Daily Star)
Why Ghosh’s comment has become controversial
The controversy surrounding Ghosh’s post is centred less on his expression of solidarity with Muqtadir and more on his attribution of the attack to “fundamentalists”.
The distinction is significant because a criminal attack can have very different motivations—such as a property dispute, personal conflict, extortion, political rivalry or ideological extremism—and identifying the motive requires evidence from an investigation.
In the ECB Chattar case, the information publicly released by police so far points towards a dispute over land possession. Authorities have not said that the attackers were motivated by religious ideology. (The Daily Star)
That has led critics of Ghosh’s post to question the basis on which the incident was characterised as an act of religious fundamentalism.
At the same time, Muqtadir’s earlier allegation of extortion and reports of looting remain part of the broader account of the incident, although police have disputed extortion as the motive. The competing accounts underscore why the final motive should be established through the investigation rather than assumed from social-media claims.
Political context adds another layer
The dispute has also attracted attention because of the differing public political positions associated with Muqtadir and Ghosh.
Muqtadir was an outspoken supporter of the student-led protests that culminated in the fall of Sheikh Hasina’s government in August 2024. Ghosh, meanwhile, was viewed by many Bangladesh observers as critical of, or opposed to, aspects of that movement.
Those political differences may explain why some social-media users have interpreted Ghosh’s latest comments through a political lens. However, there is currently no publicly established evidence linking the ECB Chattar attack to Muqtadir’s political views.
Nor does the available police investigation establish any connection between the attack and religious extremism.
A question of attribution and evidence
The episode has therefore produced two distinctly different narratives.
Muqtadir initially described the incident in terms of alleged extortion, while later acknowledging that his studio may have been caught in a broader dispute. Police have subsequently said the evidence points to a land-related conflict and that the studio was not the intended target. (The Business Standard)
Against that backdrop, Ghosh’s description of the perpetrators as “fundamentalists” remains a personal characterisation rather than an established finding of the investigation.
The police inquiry is still underway, and its findings will be important in determining who organised the attack, what motivated them and whether any additional parties were involved.
For now, the documented facts are that Muqtadir’s BrownFish Studio was seriously vandalised during an attack at a property development in the ECB Chattar area, several people have been arrested, and authorities have identified a land dispute as the leading explanation emerging from their preliminary investigation. (The Daily Star)
The debate over Ghosh’s remarks, meanwhile, illustrates a broader challenge in the social-media era: when a violent incident occurs, political or ideological explanations can spread much faster than the evidence needed to establish them.
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