Bangladesh police on Sunday said the alleged killers of student leader Sharif Osman Hadi fled to India, escalating tensions between the two countries. Hadi, a prominent critic of India who participated in last year’s mass uprising, was shot by masked assailants in Dhaka on December 12 and later died in a Singapore hospital.
His killing sparked violent protests across Bangladesh, with mobs torching newspapers perceived as pro-India and a major cultural institution.
Authorities have been under growing pressure to apprehend Hadi’s killers ahead of February’s general elections. Dhaka Metropolitan Police officer SN Nazrul Islam stated that the attack was premeditated and that the suspects, Faisal Karim Masud and Alamgir Sheikh, had crossed into India via the Haluaghat border shortly after the shooting.
According to police, the suspects were received at the border by two Indian citizens, escorted into Meghalaya, and handed over to accomplices.
Bangladeshi investigators are coordinating with Indian authorities, who have reportedly arrested the two Indian nationals involved. However, Meghalaya police officials declined to comment when contacted. The Indian foreign ministry has dismissed claims of New Delhi’s involvement in the killing as “false narratives.”
Relations between Bangladesh and India have been strained since former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina fled the country following the pro-democracy uprising.
India is still considering Dhaka’s extradition requests for Hasina, who was sentenced to death in absentia for her role in the crackdown. Tensions have also been heightened by other incidents, including the lynching of a Hindu garment worker on December 18.
The deteriorating security situation prompted Khuda Baksh Chowdhury, special assistant to interim leader Muhammad Yunus overseeing the home department, to resign on Wednesday. Bangladeshi authorities continue to work with their Indian counterparts to ensure that all suspects are brought to justice and to restore stability amid nationwide protests.
