Awami League leader dies in Meghalaya after fleeing Bangladesh; authorities say no reports
Guwahati, Aug 26: A leader of Bangladesh’s deposed Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s Awami League party, Ishak Ali Khan Panna, has died of a heart attack in Meghalaya, reports said on Sunday.
Panna, who was the former general secretary of the Chhatra League, reportedly passed away on Saturday morning in Shillong.
According to The Dhaka Tribune, Panna’s nephew, Laikuzzaman Talukder Mintoo, who is also a local Awami League official, stated that Panna slipped “from a hill” in Meghalaya.
Another relative, Jasim Uddin Khan, revealed that he had last spoken to Panna three days prior and was informed that Panna had entered Meghalaya through the Tamabil border in Sylhet close to Dawki.
Sources indicated that Panna was accompanied by a central committee leader of the Awami League and a leader of the Jhalakathi Chhatra League during his escape.
Despite these reports, local authorities in Meghalaya, including the police chiefs of West and East Jaintia Hills and the Border Security Force (BSF), have stated that they have no information regarding Panna’s death.
The Awami League leaders have been in hiding following the resignation of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina amidst violent protests over quota reforms and a subsequent power vacuum filled by the Army.
The situation in Bangladesh has been tumultuous since Hasina’s resignation on August 5, with widespread unrest and the Army’s intervention to manage the crisis. The death of Panna has yet to be confirmed by official sources in Meghalaya.
In the wake of former Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s resignation amid escalating unrest, there has been a significant increase in attempts by Bangladeshi nationals to illegally cross into India through the Northeast.
On August 21, the Border Security Force (BSF) in Meghalaya successfully intercepted an infiltration attempt in the West Jaintia Hills district, arresting three Bangladeshi nationals along with several Indian accomplices.
The apprehended individuals were handed over to local police for further investigation.
