Bangladesh student leader wanted in Hindu cop's murder arrested
What's the story
Ahmed Raza Hasan Mehdi, a Bangladesh student activist, has been arrested at the Delhi airport while allegedly trying to escape to Europe. Mehdi is wanted for the murder of Sub-Inspector Santosh Chowdhury on August 5, 2024, when lakhs of protesters stormed the official residence of then Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in Dhaka. Hasina boarded a military helicopter and fled to India.
Crime details
Former PM Hasina fled Bangladesh amid widespread unrest
Angry protesters had surrounded the police station and set it on fire with several cops trapped inside on the day of the massacre. Reports say Chowdhury was lynched and burnt alive by the mob. His body was later found hanging from a tree. Multiple incidents of arson and looting were reported across the country on that day. A viral video had earlier shown Mehdi taking responsibility for the cop's killing.
Incident aftermath
Impact of violent protests on Chowdhury's family
Sub-Inspector Chowdhury was married less than a year before the violent protests started in Bangladesh, per NDTV. His wife gave birth to a son three months after his death. The new Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) government, which came to power this week, has said that the law and order issue was one of three priorities and the Tarique Rahman-led administration would take steps to end "mob violence."