Body of Awami League leader found in betelnut plantation in Meghalaya

Shillong, Aug 29 (PTI) The Meghalaya Police recovered the decomposed body of Awami League leader Ishaque Ali Khan Panna from a betelnut plantation in Jaintia Hills district bordering Bangladesh, officials said.

The body was discovered on August 26 evening, around 1.5 km from the IndiA-Bangladesh border, they 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 in the neighbouring country, had been on the run following the fall of the Sheikh Hasina government on August 5, sources said.

The body has been sent to Khliehriat Civil Hospital for further identification, the SP said on Wednesday.

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. PTI