Osman Hadi murder: 2 prime suspects flee to India, reveal Bangladesh Police
Two prime suspects in the murder of Bangladeshi political activist Osman Hadi have fled to India through the Meghalaya border, the Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) said, as cited by Bangladeshi media reports.
Addressing a press briefing, DMP Additional Commissioner S.N. Nazrul Islam identified the accused as Faisal Karim Masud and Alamgir Sheikh. According to investigators, the duo crossed into India via the Haluaghat border in Mymensingh, allegedly with the assistance of local collaborators.
“After entering Indian territory, they were first sheltered by an individual named Purti. Subsequently, a taxi driver identified as Sami transported them to Tura town in Meghalaya,” Islam said.
Bangladesh police have received informal inputs suggesting that both Purti and Sami have been detained by Indian authorities. However, Dhaka is yet to receive official confirmation from New Delhi regarding their arrest.
Bangladesh authorities are now engaging with Indian law enforcement agencies through both formal and informal diplomatic channels to facilitate the arrest and extradition of the two suspects.
Osman Hadi, a prominent political activist and outspoken critic of both India and the Awami League, was shot in the head by masked assailants outside a mosque in Dhaka on December 12. He was airlifted to Singapore for advanced medical treatment but succumbed to his injuries six days later.
Hadi had emerged as a key face of last year’s violent student-led July Uprising, a movement that ultimately contributed to the fall of the Sheikh Hasina government. In the months preceding his death, he had launched a new political platform named Inqilab Mancha and was reportedly preparing to contest the parliamentary elections scheduled for February.
His killing sparked widespread unrest across Bangladesh, particularly in Dhaka. The violence escalated into mob attacks on media houses, including ‘Prothom Alo’ and ‘The Daily Star’, as well as cultural organisations such as Chhayanat and Udichi Shilpi Goshthi.
The unrest later spread to central Bangladesh, where a Hindu factory worker was lynched in Mymensingh, further deepening tensions. Investigations into the high-profile killing are ongoing.