Decomposed body of Awami League leader found in Meghalaya

Shillong: Meghalaya Police recovered the semi-decomposed body of Awami League leader Ishaque Ali Khan Panna from a betelnut plantation in Jaintia Hills district bordering Bangladesh, officials said on Wednesday.

The body was discovered on August 26 evening, around 1.5km from the Indo-Bangladesh border, police said.

SP Giri Prasad said Panna was identified through his passport.

Panna, a former general secretary of Bangladesh Chhatra League and a prominent member of the Awami League from Pirojpur district, had been on the run following the fall of the Sheikh Hasina government on August 5, sources said.

The body has been placed in Khliehriat Civil Hospital for further identification and processing, the SP said.

Initial reports suggested that Panna might have suffered a cardiac arrest while trying to cross the border. However, there are conflicting accounts that say he might have been involved in a shooting incident with the Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB), police said.