Bangladeshi police announced on Sunday that the suspected assassins of a prominent student leader and vocal critic of India had successfully fled across the border, an allegation that has escalated the diplomatic crisis between the two neighbors to a new, volatile level. Authorities claim the men, who killed Sharif Osman Hadi on December 12, were aided across the border by Indian citizens.
According to police details provided at a press conference, the alleged shooter, Faisal Karim Masud, and his accomplice, Alamgir Sheikh, traveled to the border in Haluaghat after the attack. There, they were allegedly escorted into India's Meghalaya state by two individuals. Senior police officer SN Nazrul Islam stated that investigators were in contact with Indian counterparts and that two Indian nationals had been arrested in connection with the escape, naming them as Purti and Sami. These claims have been directly contradicted by Indian authorities in Meghalaya and the Border Security Force, who have called the accusations "baseless and misleading" and denied any arrests. Police in Bangladesh have so far arrested 11 people locally in connection with the case.
The allegation that the killers sought refuge in India has supercharged an already tense political environment. Sharif Osman Hadi, a 32-year-old spokesperson for the student group Inqilab Mancha, was a leading figure in the 2024 protests that ousted former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and was planning to run in upcoming elections. He was an outspoken critic of Indian influence in Bangladeshi affairs, a stance that made his killing a political flashpoint. The resulting fury has seen massive protests, with demonstrators demanding justice and directing their anger at perceived symbols of Indian influence. This culminated in mobs setting fire to the offices of the major newspapers Prothom Alo and The Daily Star, which are seen by protesters as having a pro-India editorial stance. The offices of a major cultural institution were also attacked.
The police claim directly fuels long-simmering anti-India sentiment, which has grown substantially since the mass uprising against Sheikh Hasina. A key source of this resentment is India's decision to grant refuge to Hasina after she was forced from power, and its subsequent reluctance to extradite her back to Bangladesh, where she has been convicted in absentia and sentenced to death for crimes against humanity related to the violent crackdown on protesters. For many in Bangladesh, India's actions are seen as a deliberate interference in their internal politics and sovereignty. Analysts note that New Delhi's staunch support for Hasina's government over her 15-year rule amplified anti-India feelings, which contributed to her eventual ouster. The current diplomatic crisis, described as the worst in decades, has led both countries to suspend visa services and summon each other's diplomats.
The situation is further complicated by a separate but parallel tragedy: the lynching of a Hindu man, Dipu Chandra Das, on allegations of blasphemy. This killing has triggered outrage and protests in India, with Hindu nationalist groups demonstrating outside Bangladeshi missions. The U.S. State Department has condemned the lynching as "horrific". The Bangladeshi interim government, led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus, condemned both this violence and Hadi's killing but faces immense pressure and criticism for failing to maintain law and order. With elections scheduled for February 12, 2026, the country is in a precarious state, and analysts warn that continued anti-India rhetoric and retaliatory actions risk pushing the bilateral relationship past the point of easy repair, with severe consequences for regional stability.