Dhaka/New Delhi: Two principal suspects in the fatal shooting of Bangladeshi student leader Sharif Osman Hadi have fled to India, crossing the border through the Haluaghat area in Mymensingh district, according to the Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP).
DMP Additional Commissioner SN Nazrul Islam told reporters at a press briefing that the two men — identified as Faisal Karim Masud and Alamgir Sheikh — escaped into the Indian state of Meghalaya shortly after the attack. The police official said they crossed the border with the help of local associates, reported Hindustan Times.
“According to our information, the suspects entered India via the Haluaghat border,” Nazrul Islam said. Afte
r entering Indian territory, the duo were reportedly met by a person named Purti and then transported by a taxi driver, Sami, to Tura city in Meghalaya.
Bangladesh authorities have received informal reports indicating that both Purti and Sami have been detained by Indian authorities, although official confirmation is awaited. The DMP said it is in contact with Indian agencies through both formal and informal channels to secure the arrest and extradition of the two main suspects, reported The Daily Star.
Sharif Osman Hadi, a prominent student leader and spokesperson for the political platform Inqilab Mancha, was shot in the head on December 12 during an election campaign in the Bijoynagar area of central Dhaka. He was flown to Singapore for medical treatment but succumbed to his injuries on December 18. The killing triggered extensive protests and violent unrest across Bangladesh.
Hadi had planned to contest the upcoming parliamentary elections as an independent candidate from the Dhaka-8 constituency. His death has sharply heightened political tensions in the country ahead of the polls.