Toufique Imrose Khalidi, editor-in-chief of bdnews24.com and a pioneer of digital journalism in Bangladesh, was laid to rest at Mirpur Martyred Intellectuals’ Graveyard on Saturday.
He was buried around 5pm following his namaz-e-janaza at Banani Old DOHS Playground at around 3:30pm.
His body was brought to the venue at 2:30pm, where friends, relatives, colleagues, well-wishers and people from different walks of life gathered to pay their last respects.
Local Government, Rural Development and Cooperatives Minister Dr Abdul Moyeen Khan described Khalidi’s death as “unbelievable”, saying he still found it difficult to believe that Khalidi was no longer alive.
Recalling their relationship, Moyeen Khan said they first met through bdnews24.com, and their professional connection later developed into a friendship.
Highlighting Khalidi’s contribution to journalism in Bangladesh, Moyeen Khan described him as a pioneer who helped introduce a new way of delivering news through the internet, moving beyond traditional print media.
He said bdnews24.com had reached households across the country under Khalidi’s leadership.
“Khalidi did not limit himself to disseminating news. “His analyses of Bangladesh’s social, political and economic landscape will also be regarded as significant contributions,” Moyeen Khan said.
Speaking briefly before the namaz-e-janaza, The Daily Star Editor and Publisher Mahfuz Anam described Toufique Imrose Khalidi as a courageous and creative figure in the media world.Recalling his former colleague, Mahfuz Anam said, “I remember very clearly that he was with us 35 years ago. This young man was very energetic and talented.”
He said many people had devoted their lives to journalism, but Khalidi had built and run an institution like bdnews24.com.
“I have always believed that a journalist who builds an institution and runs it on ethical foundations makes a special contribution,” he said.
“Toufique established journalism-centred values, freedom and ethics at his organisation.
“The framework bdnews24.com has built is, I personally believe, Toufique’s extraordinary contribution to our media landscape.”
Toufique Imrose Khalidi passed away at a hospital in London on October 2 at the age of 59 following brain haemorrhage.
Born on June 14, 1967, Khalidi earned his master's degree in English Literature from Dhaka University before embarking on a career in journalism in 1989 with The Sunday Express.
Over a career spanning more than three decades, he held key positions across national and international media. He worked at the BBC World Service in London from February 2000 to June 2005.
Prior to that, he served at The Daily Star as Joint News Editor and Weekend Edition News Editor (1998-2000), Business Editor (1997-1998), and Diplomatic Correspondent (1991-1993), as well as Assistant Editor and Senior Correspondent at The Financial Express.
In the first half of 2005, Toufique Imrose Khalidi associated with bdnews24.com, pioneering Bangladesh's first internet-based 24/7 news service.
He received fellowships from the Journalists in Europe Foundation in Paris and the Japan Foreign Press Centre.
In 2014, he was named one of the “14 leading digital media innovators” across Asia-Pacific, Latin America, and West Asia at the South-to-South Media Dialogue in South Africa.
Toufique Imrose Khalidi chaired a UNESCO World Press Freedom Day event in 2016, attended the 2009 UN Climate Conference in Copenhagen as an observer, participated in the Global Media Forum in Bonn (2010, 2016, 2017, 2019), and spoke as a panelist at Harvard University’s "Bangladesh Rising" conference in 2018.
He also played a vital role in national policy formulation, serving on national committees for online media policy (2012, 2015), the news agency policy committee (2008), and the national task force for Dhaka river protection (2007).
In December 2017, the Bangladesh government conferred a special award on him on National ICT Day.