Meghalaya Police and Border Security Force (BSF) have refuted the allegations by Bangladesh that two primary suspects, Faisal Karim Masud and Alamgir Sheikh, in the murder of Inquilab Moncho leader Osman Hadi, fled into India from Bangladesh’s Haluaghat border in Mymensingh district.
Hadi succumbed to injuries on December 18 after being shot on head during an election campaign in Dhaka.
What did Meghalaya police and BSF say?
“No formal or informal communication has been received from Bangladesh police. None of the accused named in the report have been traced in Garo Hills, and no arrests have been made,” Hindustan Times quoted a senior police official as saying.
A PHQ official said that neither Purti nor Sami had been identified, traced or arrested anywhere in Meghalaya, adding that the account appeared to have been put together without proper verification or coordination with Indian authorities.
While dismissing the allegations, BSF (Meghalaya Frontier) Inspector General OP Upadhyay stated, “There is no evidence whatsoever of these individuals crossing the international border from the Haluaghat sector into Meghalaya. No such incident has been detected or reported by the BSF. These claims are baseless and misleading.”
He further stated that the Border Security Force functions on the basis of verified intelligence and established border management procedures.
Dhaka police claims
“The suspects, Faisal Karim Masud and Alamgir Sheikh, crossed into the Indian state of Meghalaya with the help of local associates,” Additional Police Commissioner (Crime and Operations) of Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) SN Md Nazrul Islam informed in a press conference at the DMP Media Centre, according to The Daily Star.
The suspects are believed to have entered India through the Haluaghat border and were first met by a person identified as Purti, he mentioned. They were later taken to Tura town in Meghalaya by a taxi driver named Sami, the report noted, citing Islam. The DMP official did not specify when the two allegedly fled to India. Indian authorities have not yet responded to the report.
Hadi had emerged as a prominent youth leader during the July–August 2024 mass street protests that eventually led to the downfall of the Sheikh Hasina–led Awami League government. He was also contesting as a parliamentary candidate in the elections scheduled for February 12.
Who was Osman Hadi?
Born in 1994 in Nalchitya Upazila of Jhalokhati district, Hadi hailed from a Muslim family and was known for holding radical views. He rose to prominence during last year’s student-led uprising in Bangladesh that led to the ouster of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, serving as a senior leader of the protest platform Inqilab Moncho.
Several reports described him as a vocal critic of India and a key figure in the July uprising. The 32-year-old had recently announced his intention to contest the Dhaka-8 constituency in the upcoming elections as an independent candidate, according to ANI,
Following Hadi’s death, unrest was reported in several parts of Bangladesh. Inqilab Moncho urged the public to avoid violence, vandalism and arson that had spread across the country. During the unrest, the offices of two media organizations, The Daily Star and Prothom Alowere set on fire.
In a Facebook post, Inquilab Moncho mentioned, “Through destruction and fire, certain groups aim to render Bangladesh an ineffective state. They seek to undermine the independence and sovereignty of our country. You must understand — 32 and 36 are not the same.”
It further appealed to people to reflect on who would gain from instability as the February elections draw closer, and called for full cooperation with the government to preserve stability and prevent further violence.
