In January 2001, Tipu Sultan was working in Feni District where he investigated an arson attack on the Sultana Memorial Junior Girls School in Omarpur.

On 17 January, he filed a report for United News of Bangladesh, an independent wire service, implicating Joynal Hazari, an Awami League Member of Parliament[1] nicknamed "the Godfather of Feni".

[3] A group of Bangladeshi journalists then launched an international campaign on Sultan's behalf and managed to source sufficient funding to finance the transfer to Bangkok, Thailand.

[5] Although Sultan attempted to file criminal charges against Hazari and his attackers,[1] local police refused to investigate or even accept the complaint until forced to do so by a court order.

[3] Sultan and his family received threats that they would be killed if they continued to pursue the case, causing Amnesty International to call for an "Urgent Action" letter-writing campaign on their behalf.

[9] According to the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), the attack on Sultan became "symbolic of the rising tide of violence directed against the press in Bangladesh", leading to both national and international outcry.