By Our Reporter
SHILLONG, Aug 26: The Border Security Force (BSF) on Monday rebutted media reports in the neighbouring country that Awami League leader Ishak Ali Khan Panna died of a heart attack while climbing a hill in Meghalaya in an attempt to flee his country.
“The BSF Meghalaya Frontier strongly refutes the misleading reports circulated by esteemed media houses concerning the death of former Awami League leader Ishak Ali Khan Panna in Indian territory in the Sylhet-bordering area. Recently no infiltration/illegal entry of Bangladeshi nationals was reported in the area of responsibility of the Meghalaya Frontier of BSF along the Indo-BD (Bangladesh) border. The story being circulated is entirely fabricated, and BSF has no involvement in the unfortunate demise of Panna,” Trideep Sangma, the second-in-command at the BSF’s Frontier Headquarters, Meghalaya, said in a statement.
He said the 443-km India-Bangladesh border in Meghalaya is fully secure and denied claims of illegal entry by Bangladeshi nationals.
The BSF official said they contacted the Assistant High Commission of Bangladesh in Assam regarding the matter.
“The Assistant High Commission of Bangladesh has confirmed that they have not received any official information concerning Panna’s death near the border area as of now,” he added.
“The BSF remains vigilant and committed to maintaining the sanctity and security of the Indo-Bangladesh border. The BSF has heightened alertness along the border in light of Bangladesh’s recent unrest and riots. Any attempt at illegal infiltration or activities that compromise the security of our nation will be dealt with firmly,” the statement added.
A section of the Bangladeshi media, including The Dhaka Tribune newspaper, reported that Panna died of a heart attack in Meghalaya on Saturday after fleeing the country.
The media reports quoted Panna’s nephew Laikuzzaman Talukder Mintoo, the Chirapara Par Satoria Union Parishad and Organising Secretary of the Kaukhali Upazila Awami League, as saying that Panna slipped from a hill in Shillong, leading to a heart attack.
The report also said that another relative, Jasim Uddin Khan had spoken to Panna on the phone three days before his death. Khan said he learned that Panna had entered Meghalaya through the Tamabil border in Sylhet, where he died. During his escape attempt, Panna was accompanied by a leader from the central committee of the Awami League and a leader of the Jhalakathi Chhatra League, the media reports said.