BSF had denied reports about his escape to M’laya
SHILLONG, Aug 28: East Jaintia Hills Police have recovered a semi-decomposed body, suspected to be that of Bangladesh’s Awami League leader Ishaque Ali Khan Panna, from a betel nut plantation located in the Dona Bhoi area of the district, approximately 1.5 km from the Indo-Bangladesh international border.
A Bangladesh passport bearing the name of Panna was recovered from the body which was shifted to Khliehriat Civil Hospital for post-mortem examination.
The body has been kept in the hospital morgue pending further investigation.
The Border Security Force (BSF) had rebutted media reports in the neighbouring country that Panna had died of a heart attack while climbing a hill in Meghalaya in an attempt to flee his country on August 24 and had termed it as false and fabricated.
“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, had said on Monday.
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.
A section of the Bangladeshi media, including The Dhaka Tribune newspaper, had reported on August 25 that Panna died of a heart attack in Meghalaya after fleeing the country.