Bangladesh seeks extradition of 2 suspects in Sharif Osman Hadi’s killing

Bangladesh on Monday said it had begun efforts to repatriate two men suspected of being involved in the killing of student leader Sharif Osman Hadi, a day after Indian police announced their arrest in West Bengal for allegedly entering the country illegally.

“Initiatives have been taken to extradite the two accused,” home minister Salahuddin Ahmed told reporters in Cox’s Bazar on Monday.

In a separate media briefing in Dhaka, Bangladesh’s police chief, Inspector General of Police Mohammad Ali Hossain Fakir, said diplomatic channels were being used to bring the suspects — Faisal Karim Masud and Alamgir Hossain — back to Bangladesh.

Hadi (32) a spokesperson for the Inqilab Moncho and a vocal critic of India, had gained national prominence during the July–August 2024 mass protests that led to the fall of the Sheikh Hasina-led Awami League government.

He was shot in the head on 12 December during an election campaign in Dhaka. Hadi, who was contesting as an independent candidate in the 12 February parliamentary elections, was later airlifted to Singapore for treatment but died on 18 December.

The attack was carried out by masked assailants riding motorcycles. The shooting took place amid violent clashes involving his supporters, during which two cultural organisations — Chhayanat and Udichi, both founded in the 1960s — were set ablaze. Offices linked to widely circulated newspapers Prothom Alo and The Daily Star were also targeted during the unrest.

On Sunday, West Bengal Police said they had arrested two Bangladeshi nationals accused of Hadi’s murder after they allegedly entered India without valid documents.

Bangladesh police had earlier claimed that the attackers fled across the border into India after the shooting. At the time, the Muhammad Yunus-led interim administration had vowed to bring those responsible for the killing to justice, while Indian authorities rejected allegations that the suspects had crossed into Indian territory.

Relations between Bangladesh and India had deteriorated sharply during the Yunus-led interim government, and the killing of Hadi further strained ties between the two countries.

Police in West Bengal said preliminary questioning of the two men suggested their involvement in the murder. In a statement, the police said there was “secret credible information” that the suspects had fled Bangladesh and were hiding in a border area while attempting to cross back into Bangladesh.

The arrests came shortly after Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) leader Tarique Rahman assumed office as prime minister on 17 February, bringing an end to the 18-month rule of the interim government.

With PTI inputs