Published : 10 Oct 2026, 11:34 AM
Updated : 10 Oct 2026, 12:11 PM
The remains of Toufique Imrose Khalidi, the late editor-in-chief of bdnews24.com and a pioneer of digital journalism in Bangladesh, have arrived in Dhaka from London.
His coffin arrived at Dhaka's Shahjalal International Airport on a Biman Bangladesh Airlines flight at 10:55am on Saturday.
His nephew Taraaf Tazeez Khalidi and his niece's husband, Akif Ahmed, received the coffin around 11:30am. Khalidi's colleagues were also present at the airport.
The coffin will be taken from the airport to Khalidi's home, where family members and relatives will bid him a final farewell.
His body will then be kept at the Banani Old DOHS Playground from 2pm to 3pm for friends, relatives, colleagues, well-wishers and people from different walks of life to pay their last respects.
His Janaza (funeral prayers) will be held at the same venue at 3pm, after which he will be laid to rest at Mirpur Martyred Intellectuals' Graveyard at 5pm.
Khalidi fell suddenly ill on the night of Oct 1 while on a personal visit to London.
He was taken to St Bartholomew's Hospital, where doctors diagnosed a brain haemorrhage. He was declared dead at 2:23pm local time the following day.
Funeral prayers were held at Brick Lane Mosque in East London after Zuhr prayers on Oct 8, with former colleagues and members of the local Bangladeshi community gathering to pay their last respects.
Khalidi's son, Raad Sharaar Khalidi, a director of Bangladesh News 24 Hours Ltd, spoke briefly on behalf of the family.
"My father had certain principles in his professional life that he never wanted to compromise. He believed journalism should be honest, fearless and independent. To him, journalism was not merely a profession -- it was a responsibility and a passion," he said.
“He had to go through many difficult periods while carrying out that responsibility. Many of you here stood beside him during those turbulent times. Our family is grateful for your love, courage and support.”
Khalidi was associated with several pioneering developments in Bangladesh's modern news industry. Under his leadership, a new chapter in digital journalism began two decades ago.
The journey started in the first half of 2005, when bdnews operated as a news agency supplying reports to media organisations. While other news agencies in Bangladesh distributed news through teleprinters, bdnews began delivering its reports over the internet.
Following a change in ownership and management in 2006, the news agency underwent a major transformation.
In July that year, a new management team led by Khalidi turned the outlet into the country's first dotcom news company.
On Oct 23, bdnews24.com began operating around the clock in its new format, marking the beginning of Bangladesh's digital news era.
Khalidi began his journalism career in 1989, joining the Sunday Express after completing a Master's degree in English literature at the University of Dhaka.
Over a distinguished career spanning more than three decades, he played significant roles in journalism both in Bangladesh and internationally.
He worked at the BBC World Service in London from February 2000 to June 2005.
Before that, he held several senior positions at two of Bangladesh's leading English-language newspapers, The Daily Star and The Financial Express.
