Osman Hadi Assassins Fled To India Through Meghalaya Border, Says Dhaka Police

The Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) has claimed that two key suspects in the murder of Bangladeshi political activist Osman Hadi escaped to India through the Meghalaya border after the attack, as reported by Bangladesh media.

Briefing the media at the DMP Media Centre, Additional Commissioner SN Nazrul Islam identified the suspects as Faisal Karim Masud and Alamgir Sheikh. He said the duo crossed into India via the Haluaghat border in Mymensingh with assistance from local contacts. After entering Indian territory, they were allegedly received by an individual named Purti and later transported by a taxi driver, identified as Sami, to Tura city in Meghalaya.

Nazrul Islam said Bangladeshi authorities have received informal information suggesting that both individuals who helped the suspects may have been detained by Indian agencies, though official confirmation is still awaited. He added that Bangladesh is in continuous touch with Indian authorities through formal and informal channels to facilitate the arrest and extradition of the fugitives.

Osman Hadi was a prominent political leader and a vocal critic of India and the Awami League. He rose to prominence during last year’s student-led July Uprising that eventually led to the fall of the Sheikh Hasina-led government. After the movement, Hadi launched a new political platform, Inqilab Mancha, and was preparing to contest the parliamentary elections scheduled for February.

Hadi was shot in the head by unidentified assailants in Dhaka on December 12 and later succumbed to his injuries in Singapore. His killing sparked widespread unrest, including arson attacks on media houses and cultural institutions, and incidents of mob violence in other parts of Bangladesh.