West Bengal STF arrests Bangladesh activist Sharif Osman Hadi’s killers in Bongaon

KOLKATA: Two prime suspects in the murder of Bangladeshi youth activist Sharif Osman Hadi, who played a key role in the July 2024 uprising in the neighbouring country that dislodged the Sheikh Hasina govt, were arrested by the Bengal Special Task Force in Bongaon early on Sunday.

The suspects — Faisal Karim Masud (37) and Alamgir Hossain (34) — had sneaked into India from Bangladesh through the Meghalaya border after the Dec 12 fatal attack on Hadi in Dhaka, the STF said. They had frequently changed hideouts in India before reaching Bongaon, from where they wanted to return to Bangladesh.





Hadi, who was the spokesperson for Inqilab Mancha, was critically wounded after being shot and airlifted to Singapore for treatment. He died on Dec 18. The 33-yearold’s murder in the middle of a poll campaign in Bangladesh triggered violence and arson across the country.

Hadi, who was a lecturer in the department of business studies at University of Scholars, a private university in Dhaka, had campaigned for the banning of Hasina’s Awami League and demanded restructuring of treaties with India to ensure what he termed “justice-based sovereignty”.

The Bengal STF issued a statement saying it carried out an operation based on “secret and credible information” that led to the arrest of the two Bangladeshis. “During preliminary interrogation, it was revealed that Faisal Karim Masud, along with Alamgir Hossain, had committed the murder of Osman Hadi,” the statement said.

The STF said they had information about the illegal entry of Faisal and Alamgir into India.

The STF statement said the two “were trying to take shelter in the border area of Bongaon with the intention of crossing back into Bangladesh when an opportunity arises.

Acting on this information, a raid was conducted, and two Bangladeshi nationals were intercepted, namely Faisal Karim Masud, a resident of Patuakhali, Bangladesh, and Alamgir Hossain, a resident of Dhaka, from the area of Bongaon in the morning hours of Sunday.”

“A case has been registered under the Foreigners Act. A Bongaon court sent them to police custody,” said Indrajit Sarkar, superintendent of police (operations), Bengal STF.

Director-general (Bengal STF) Jawed Shamim said: “We will act according to court directives.”

Sources said central agencies have been informed about the arrest.

Dhaka police had earlier arrested several individuals who had allegedly helped Faisal and Alamgir flee the country. Among those held were Faisal’s wife and close relatives.

In Dec, Meghalaya Police and Border Security Force had denied claims that Faisal and Alamgir had been traced in the northeastern state and that their associates had been detained there.