Shillong: The Meghalaya government has ruled out any National Investigation Agency (NIA) or high-level inquiry into the death of Bangladeshi politician Ishaq Ali Panna, whose body was found near the Indo-Bangla border. The post-mortem report indicated that Panna was allegedly “throttled to death.”
Deputy Chief Minister in charge of Home, Prestone Tynsong, informed that the body is currently in Khliehriat, and both the Bangladesh and Indian High Commissioners have been notified of the recovery.
When questioned about potential foul play, Tynsong stated that the exact cause of death would be confirmed after forensic tests. The post-mortem report, however, confirmed that Panna died from asphyxia due to throttling.
Panna’s relatives have identified the body and are on their way to Meghalaya to claim it. “Our responsibility is only to hand over the body to the family,” Tynsong said, noting that even the state government is puzzled by the incident.
Tynsong mentioned that while the Border Security Force (BSF) told the state government there was no attempt to cross into India, Bangladesh claimed that Panna was trying to escape to India. “But 2-3 days later, his body was found 1.2 or 1.3 km inside Indian territory,” he added, indicating that further investigation would be necessary.
Night curfew remains enforced in the border area, and both the BSF and local police have been directed to ensure no unauthorized crossings occur. Tynsong questioned how Panna’s body could be found in Indian territory if he wasn’t attempting to cross illegally, suggesting another theory that Panna might have been killed in Bangladesh, and his body dumped in India.
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Tynsong also mentioned that neither the police nor the BSF found any cash in Panna’s possession, despite unconfirmed reports from Panna’s family suggesting he was carrying a large sum of money, including US currency worth around Rs 3 crore in Indian value.
The body was recovered in a semi-decomposed state, with Panna’s identity confirmed through his Bangladeshi passport, which was found with the body.
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