Meghalaya awaits Centre’s directives after Bangladeshi leader’s body found in Jaintia Hills

Shillong, Aug 30: The state government is waiting for instructions from the Centre on the next step to be taken following the recent recovery of the body of a notable political figure from Bangladesh in Dona Bhoi area of East Jaiñtia Hills (EJH) District, approximately 1.5 kilometers from the Indo-Bangladesh border.

The body, discovered on the evening of August 26, 2024, has been identified through a Bangladesh passport as Ishaque Ali Khan Panna, a former General Secretary of the Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL) and a key member of the Awami League from Pirojpur district. His body has been placed in the Khliehriat civil hospital’s morgue for identification and further procedures.

Informing this on Friday, Deputy Chief Minister in-charge Home (Police), Prestone Tynsong, said, “We have informed the higher authority and also the High Commissioners of Bangladesh and India (on the discovery of the body) and now we are waiting from the Home Ministry (on) what step is to be taken next.”

He also informed that the government has directed the conduct of forensic test to know exactly what has happened.

Tynsong informed that Panna’s family members have already identified the body and are on the way to the State. “The Ministry of External Affairs and Ministry of Home Affairs are taking care of everything and our responsibility as state government is only to handover the dead body to the concerned family members once they reach Meghalaya (India),” he said.

The deputy chief minister also said that as per information received from the BSF, there was no question of any attempt to enter India on the part of the deceased Bangladesh leader.

“Because from Bangladesh side they claimed the leader of Awami League was trying to escape to India and then he was on the way but BSF verified and said it is not like that. But ultimately after 2-3 days his dead body was found around 1.2 or 1.3 km inside the Indian territory,” he said while further revealing that the report of post-mortem examination indicated that Panna was killed. “Due to this, the next step of action from the state government is (that) we will go for further investigation and that is a forensic test,” he added.

Further, Tynsong said although reports alleged that the Bangladeshi leader had carried a lot of money with him but as per statement and physical possession made by the state police and BSF, they did not find the cash on him.

Asked, the deputy chief minister admitted that the incident took place at a time when the state government is imposing night curfew along the Indo-Bangla border to prevent any illegal crossing over from Bangladesh to India.

“All along the international border night curfew was imposed and till today we continue to do that, from evening till early morning. We have instructed, be it from the police side or be it from the BSF side, that they have to do their duty to make sure that no one crosses over from Bangladesh to India,” he said.

Responding to another query, Tynsong said since the dead body was found within 1.2 or 1.3 km within India territory, it means he had crossed illegally. However, he pointed at two possibilities in this case – first that he crossed illegally and died here, and second that somebody killed him and dumped the dead body inside Indian territory. “These are the issues which we are yet to clearly ascertain what happening,” he said.

He, however, said the incident doesn’t warrant for investigation by the CBI or other central agencies. “I think the situation does not lead to that because right now it is only a question that somebody, a leader from Bangladesh was killed and even from Bangladesh I don’t know what’s going on. So, I don’t think conclusion can be reached leading to investigation of CBI and this and that,” he stated.

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