English
The Border Security Force (BSF) in Meghalaya on Sunday denied claims by Bangladesh Police that the killers of Inquilab Moncho leader Sharif Osman Hadi escaped to India through the Meghalaya border. BSF officials said there is no proof to support this claim. Calling the allegations false, BSF Inspector General (Meghalaya) OP Upadhyay said they were “baseless and misleading”.
He also rejected reports that the suspects crossed into India through the Haluaghat area. “There is no evidence that anyone crossed the international border from the Haluaghat sector into Meghalaya. The BSF has not detected any such movement, nor has it received any report about it,” he said.
Earlier, a senior officer of the Dhaka Metropolitan Police claimed that two main suspects in the murder case had entered Meghalaya’s Garo Hills area with help from local contacts. The officer said police had received unofficial information that two people who helped the suspects cross over were later taken into custody by Indian authorities.
Meanwhile, BSF officials said troops posted along the India-Bangladesh border are on high alert, especially because of the tense and unstable situation in neighbouring Bangladesh.
The BSF said the border in this region is under constant watch and stressed that any illegal attempt to cross the border would be quickly detected and stopped.
The Garo Hills area is part of Meghalaya’s western sector. This region shares an international border with Bangladesh and is guarded by the Border Security Force (BSF).
The Dhaka Metropolitan Police officer also said that the Bangladesh government is in contact with Indian authorities to bring back the suspects. He added that talks are taking place through both official and unofficial channels to trace, arrest, and extradite the accused.
Sharif Osman Hadi was a well-known political leader in Bangladesh. He was outspoken and openly criticised both India and the ruling Awami League. He became popular during last year’s violent student protests, often called the July Uprising. These protests eventually led to the fall of the Sheikh Hasina-led government.
After the protests, Hadi formed a new political group called Inqilab Mancha. He had also started preparing to contest the parliamentary elections planned for February.
On December 12, Hadi was attacked in Dhaka. Masked attackers shot him in the head. He was later flown to Singapore for specialised medical treatment but died six days later due to his injuries.
His death triggered widespread violence across Dhaka and other parts of Bangladesh. Angry crowds set fire to the offices of major newspapers, including Prothom Alo and The Daily Star. Cultural organisations such as Chhayanat and Udichi Shilpi Goshthi were also attacked in the capital.
The unrest spread to central Bangladesh as well. In Mymensingh, a Hindu factory worker was beaten to death by a mob, sharply increasing tensions across the country.
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