Body of Bangladeshi Politician to be Handed Over to Bangladesh High Commission

GG News Bureau
New Delhi, 31st August. The body of Ishaque Ali Khan Panna, a prominent leader of the Bangladeshi Awami League and former General Secretary of the Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL), will be handed over to officials from the Bangladesh High Commission today. Panna, who had fled Bangladesh after the fall of the Sheikh Hasina regime, was found dead near the Indo-Bangladesh border in Meghalaya.

According to a senior Meghalaya official, the body is currently at the border and will be transported to Panna’s home in Pirojpur district, Bangladesh, through the Dawki Land Port in West Jaintia Hills. The body was identified through Panna’s Bangladeshi passport and had been kept at the Khliehriat Civil Hospital morgue.

Authorities in Meghalaya have been coordinating with both Indian and Bangladeshi officials since the discovery of the body on August 26, 2024. The post-mortem report indicated that Panna died of strangulation, raising questions about the circumstances of his death. The Meghalaya government, after notifying higher authorities, has awaited instructions from the Centre regarding the next steps.

Deputy Chief Minister in charge of Home (Police), Prestone Tynsong, confirmed that the state’s role is to facilitate the handover of the body to Panna’s family once they arrive in Meghalaya. The Ministries of External Affairs in both India and Bangladesh have been in close communication to resolve the situation.

Before the formal handover, forensic samples were collected to assist in the ongoing investigation into Panna’s death. The circumstances of his entry into India and the subsequent events leading to his death remain under scrutiny.