Maasranga TV CEO and chief editor Syed Fahim Munaim dies

Syed Fahim Munaim, chief editor and CEO of Maasranga Television, has died a month shy of his 63rd birthday.

He passed on at his Gulshan home around 6am Wednesday after suffering a cardiac arrest, said Touhidur Rahman, special correspondent for the television channel.

Munaim is survived by his wife and three sons.

One of his colleagues said Munaim’s remains would be kept at the Square Hospital mortuary overnight. The family will decide on funeral prayers and burial after his two sons fly in the US on Thursday.

Information Minister Hasanul Haq Inu and Information Secretary Martuza Ahmed have mourned his death and condoled with the grief-stricken family.

Born in 1954 to journalist Syed Nuruddin, who was the executive editor of ‘Daily Sangbad’ once, Munaim had a long career in news media.

He stepped into the media world by joining ‘Sangbad’ in 1982 after finishing his studies in management in the US.

After 'Sangbad', he had moved to 'Morning Sun' and the UNB news agency before becoming the managing editor of 'The Daily Star'.

It was during his stint at The Daily Star that he became press secretary to chief adviser Fakhruddin Ahmed in the 2007-2008 caretaker government.

He returned to the newspaper after the caretaker regime relinquished power.

In 1991 during the BNP regime, Fahim Munaim was made the press councillor at Bangladesh embassy in Japan.

He joined Maasranga Television as its chief executive officer when it was launched in 2010.

Munaim, a permanent member of the National Press Club, was fondly called ‘Tipu Bhai’ by his peers. He had attended many public and private events of bdnews24.com.

BNP leaders former information minister M Shamsul Islam and Tariqul Islam, National Press Club, BFUJ and DUJ have mourned his demise in separate statements.