Ex-Air force officer who allegedly recorded Hasina fleeing found dead
What's the story
The body of former Bangladesh Air Force officer KM Tahsif Souri, who was allegedly linked to a video showing former PM Sheikh Hasina fleeing the country on August 5, 2024, was recovered from Dhaka's Turag River on Wednesday. The 28-year-old had been missing since Tuesday. Souri is suspected to have recorded or shared the controversial video of Hasina fleeing the country. His family has alleged murder and harassment in connection with the footage.
Identification details
Body recovered from river
The Bangladesh River Police confirmed the recovery of Souri's body on Thursday. An iPhone found in his pocket helped establish his identity. A wristwatch was also recovered.
The body was sent to Shaheed Suhrawardy Medical College Hospital for an autopsy; however, the exact cause of death is still unknown.
Initially suspected to be drowning, authorities are awaiting the postmortem report for a definitive conclusion.
Harassment claims
Claims of murder, harassment
After Souri was found dead, his cousin Moshfeka Jahan alleged on Facebook that he was harassed over the Hasina video and was murdered.
"My brother was murdered. What was his fault? Sharing the video of Hasina fleeing?" He did not even record it...One of his colleagues had," she wrote.
Jahan further claimed Souri had been subjected to mental harassment even after his retirement from the Air Force, with detectives continuing to follow him.
Retirement controversy
No allegations against Souri
Questions have also been raised about Souri's retirement from the Bangladesh Air Force.
The military's public relations agency said he was retired according to institutional rules without any allegations against him. However, reports have linked his departure to the controversy surrounding Hasina's escape footage.
His cousin also suggested that he was pushed into retirement.
Shaheenur Zaman of Uttarkhan Police Station said no complaint had been filed at the time of his statement regarding these allegations.
Unanswered questions
Speculation continues over political implications
The circumstances of Souri's death remain unclear as investigators await autopsy results.
His death comes just months before Hasina is expected to return to Bangladesh, a promise she has repeatedly made while in exile in India.
Hasina resigned after weeks of deadly anti-government protests, putting an end to her more than two decades dominating the country's politics.
She fled to India amid the protests.