Two primary suspects in the murder of Inquilab Moncho leader Sharif Osman Hadi have fled Bangladesh and are believed to be currently in India, a top Dhaka Metropolitan Police officer said Sunday.
Hadi, 32, was shot in the head on December 12 during an election campaign in Dhaka. He was airlifted to Singapore for advanced treatment but died of his injuries on December 18.
“The suspects, Faisal Karim Masud and Alamgir Sheikh, crossed into the Indian state of Meghalaya with the help of local associates,” Additional Police Commissioner (Crime and Operations) of the Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) S N Md Nazrul Islam told a press conference at the DMP Media Centre.
“According to our information, the suspects entered India via the Haluaghat border. After crossing, they were initially received by an individual named Purti. Later, a taxi driver named Sami transported them to Tura city in Meghalaya,” The Daily Star said, quoting Islam.
The DMP officer did not, however, mention when the two escaped to India.
There is no reaction by Indian officials to the report as yet.
Hadi was a prominent youth leader during the July-August 2024 mass street protests that led to the fall of the Sheikh Hasina-led Awami League government last year.
Hadi, convenor of Inqilab Moncho, a prominent student activist and a parliamentary candidate for the upcoming February 12, 2026 national elections, died on December 18, 2025, in Singapore while receiving treatment for gunshot wounds sustained during an attack in Dhaka.
The funeral prayer service for Sharif Osman Hadi concluded in Bangladesh on Saturday. The prayer service drew a large crowd to pray for the Inqilab Moncho convenor. In accordance with the family's wishes, Hadi was buried beside the grave of national poet Kazi Nazrul Islam.
Hadi had announced plans to run as an independent for the Dhaka-8 seat in the upcoming election, was shot at close range on Dec 12 while travelling by rickshaw in the capital's Bijoynagar area. Police said two assailants arrived on a motorcycle and opened fire before fleeing the scene.
