Bangladesh is seeking cooperation from India to obtain consular access and pursue the extradition of two suspects in the murder of Sharif Osman Bin Hadi who were arrested in West Bengal, State Minister for Foreign Affairs Shama Obaed said yesterday.
“Our Deputy High Commission in Kolkata has already contacted the Indian authorities and requested consular access, as the information we have so far is not sufficient,” Shama told journalists at the foreign ministry, adding that the two suspects were likely taken on a 14-day remand.
Bangladesh has yet to receive a response from the Indian side, she said, noting that consular access would allow officials to verify the identity of the accused and determine the next course of action.
“We need to wait until we have full information. Once we get consular access, we can move forward,” she said.
Bangladesh and India have an extradition treaty, and if the suspects are identified, steps will be taken to bring them back to face justice, she added.
The Special Task Force (STF) of West Bengal police arrested Faisal Karim Masud, 37, the prime accused in the Hadi murder case, and his alleged associate Alamgir Hossain, 34, early Sunday from the border area of Bongaon. Faisal is a resident of Patuakhali, while Alamgir is from Dhaka.
According to the STF, the arrests followed intelligence suggesting that the two Bangladeshi nationals accused of serious crimes including murder and extortion had fled Bangladesh and entered India illegally.
Inqilab Moncho leader Hadi, who was also an independent aspirant for the Dhaka-8 constituency, was shot in Dhaka’s Paltan area on December 12 last year and died on December 18 while undergoing treatment in Singapore.
On January 6 this year, the Detective Branch of police submitted a charge sheet against Faisal, four of his family members, and 12 others.
The charge sheet said analysis of the accused persons’ political affiliations and Hadi’s statements suggested the killing was a result of political rivalry.
It also alleged that Faisal and his associates infiltrated Hadi’s election campaign as part of a planned effort to disrupt the 13th parliamentary election by creating fear among voters.
Speaking at a briefing yesterday, Inspector General of Police Md Ali Hossain Fakir said efforts were underway through diplomatic channels to extradite the two suspects from India, expressing hope that the process would be completed soon.
Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed also said the government had begun steps to bring them back under the extradition treaty.
“The home ministry has already requested the foreign ministry to take the necessary steps,” he told journalists after a law and order committee meeting in Cox’s Bazar yesterday.
At the foreign ministry, asked how quickly the extradition could take place, Shama said it was difficult to give a definite timeline as the matter involved legal procedures in another country.
“We all want justice for Hadi; we wanted justice when it occurred, and we want it now. We hope India will cooperate with us in this matter,” she said.
Responding to a question on diesel imports from India, the state minister said Bangladesh expects broader cooperation from its neighbour.
“We want diesel, we want water, and we want an end to killings at the border. We want many things,” she said.
Noting that the Indian government had expressed interest in maintaining good relations with Bangladesh, she said Dhaka expected those commitments to be implemented.
“Since a new government has come to power in Bangladesh, they want to establish relations anew through mutual respect,” she said.
On the repatriation of deposed prime minister Sheikh Hasina, Shama said the process was ongoing.
“Our government has just assumed office. We certainly want justice for everyone, including the trial of the former prime minister. We are working on that.”