Meghalaya govt hands over Awami League leader’s body to B’desh authorities

Shillong, Aug 31 (IANS) The body of Awami League leader Ishaque Ali Khan Panna, whose body was found in Meghalaya village along the Bangladesh border earlier this week, was handed over to Bangladeshi authorities by the Meghalaya government on Saturday, officials said.

A senior Meghalaya government official said that the Bangladesh government has sent an official to take back the body of Panna from the Khliehriat Civil Hospital in Meghalaya’s East Jaintia Hills district.

After identification and required paperwork, the body of the Awami League leader was handed over to the Bangladeshi authorities, in the presence of Bangladesh Police and Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) personnel.

The body was taken to the Dawki border post in Meghalaya before being taken to Bangladesh via Tamabil for its onward journey for the last rites.

The decomposed body of Panna was found by the villagers on August 26 at a betel nut plantation bordering Dona Bhoi village in East Jaintia Hills district.

The slain Awami League leader was identified through his Bangladesh passport.

Meghalaya government or the police are yet to disclose the post-mortem report of Panna, the local media quoting police had reported the death was due to asphyxia or “throttled to death”.

After the recovery of the body of the Awami League leader, the Meghalaya government informed both Indian and Bangladeshi authorities.

Meghalaya Deputy Chief Minister Prestone Tynsong, who also holds the Home portfolio, had told the media on Friday that the relatives of Panna identified the body.

Even though the death of the Bangladesh leader and recovery of his body in the border village is ‘mysterious’, Tynsong said that the exact cause of death would be known in the forensic test report, which has not yet been received by the local authorities.

The Deputy Chief Minister said the law enforcement agencies are conducting a probe into this incident.

After the Awami League government in Bangladesh headed by former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina quit on August 5 following the massive student protests across the country, many leaders of the erstwhile ruling party tried to flee the country or come to India, the law enforcing agencies of the country arrested few of them and the government put up restrictions to their movement outside the country.

–IANS

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