BSF slams ‘fabricated’ Bangladesh reports: No Hadi assassination suspects entered India

New Delhi: The Border Security Force (BSF) has issued a sharp denial regarding reports in the Bangladeshi media that two suspects linked to the assassination of prominent student leader Sharif Osman Hadi escaped into India through the Meghalaya border.

Indian border officials on Monday characterised the allegations as "false, fabricated, and misleading," maintaining that there is no evidence to support claims that the fugitives entered the state via the Haluaghat border area.

"The claims are completely false, fabricated, and misleading, and there is no evidence to support them," stated Inspector General OP Upadhyay, the BSF chief in Meghalaya. He added that no arrests or interceptions of the named individuals have occurred in the sector.

The controversy follows a press briefing by the Dhaka Metropolitan Police, where officials alleged that the primary suspects, identified as Faisal Karim Masud and Alamgir Sheikh, had successfully crossed into India with the assistance of local accomplices and were subsequently transported to the town of Tura in Meghalaya.

Upadhyay challenged the plausibility of the report, noting that the Haluaghat area is nearly 300 kilometres from Dhaka and under significant surveillance. "The claim that the individuals entered India from a location nearly 300 km from Dhaka, despite extensive CCTV surveillance and checkpoints in Bangladesh, is highly implausible," he said.

The officer also pointed to contradictions within the Bangladeshi narrative, noting that while one official reportedly denied having evidence of the crossing days ago, others have since made conflicting assertions. Meghalaya state police have similarly denied reports that they apprehended the suspects.

The victim, 32-year-old Sharif Osman Hadi, was a central figure in the 2024 "July Uprising" that led to the ouster of the previous government. He died on Dec. 18 in Singapore after being shot in the head during an election campaign event in Dhaka on Dec. 12. His death has sparked widespread protests and heightened political tensions across Bangladesh.

The BSF remains on high alert along the international boundary, though Upadhyay noted that even the Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) has not officially reported any such illegal crossing to their Indian counterparts.

With inputs from ANI