Shillong, Dec 29: Security agencies in Meghalaya on December 28 strongly refuted claims by the Bangladesh Police that the killers of Inquilab Moncho leader Sharif Osman Hadi had crossed into the state, terming the assertion unfounded and misleading. Officials said there was no evidence to support allegations of illegal movement across the international border into Meghalaya.
Inspector General O P Opadhyay, who heads the Border Security Force in Meghalaya, said the force had neither detected nor received any information suggesting that suspects involved in the killing had entered the state through the Haluaghat sector. He clarified that BSF surveillance along the border had not indicated any such breach and described the claims as baseless.
The denial followed a statement by a senior officer of the Dhaka Metropolitan Police, who earlier alleged that two prime suspects in the murder had crossed into Meghalaya with assistance from local contacts. The claim prompted closer scrutiny along the border, particularly in the western sector adjoining Bangladesh.
A senior Meghalaya police official also rejected the allegation, stating that there was no intelligence input or operational information to corroborate the presence of the suspects in the Garo Hills region. The officer said local police units had not observed any suspicious movement, while coordination with central security agencies continued as a precautionary measure.
BSF officials reiterated that border troops remain on high alert, especially in light of the volatile situation in neighbouring Bangladesh. They stressed that the international boundary in Meghalaya’s western sector, including areas along the Garo Hills, is under continuous surveillance and that any attempt at illegal crossing would be immediately detected and dealt with.
Sharif Osman Hadi, aged 32, was shot in the head on December 12 while campaigning in Dhaka. He was later airlifted to Singapore for advanced medical treatment but died from his injuries on December 18. A spokesperson of Inquilab Moncho, Hadi rose to prominence as a youth leader during the mass protests in July and August 2024 that led to the fall of the Awami League government headed by Sheikh Hasina. He was also contesting as a parliamentary candidate in the February 12 elections.
Meghalaya shares a long and sensitive international border with Bangladesh, particularly in its western districts, where security is maintained by the BSF in close coordination with state police and central agencies.
