Bangladesh student leader wanted in Hindu cop’s murder detained at Delhi airport

A Bangladeshi student leader, accused in the 2024 murder of a Hindu police officer in his country, was detained at Delhi airport while allegedly attempting to flee to Europe, sources said. The accused, Ahmed Raza Hasan Mehdi, was later deported to Bangladesh after alleging physical abuse by police officials during detention.
Mehdi is a student coordinator from Habiganj district in Bangladesh, where the victim, SI Santosh Chowdhury, was killed by a mob on August 5, 2024, the same day when then-Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina was ousted following anti-government protests. Mehdi was intercepted by immigration officials at the Delhi airport. According to sources, authorities detained him when he was trying to leave the country and subsequently deported him to Bangladesh. In a video shot from the airport, Mehdi claimed he was physically abused by one of the policemen and said he will narrate his ordeal after he returns to Bangladesh. “I was in police custody for 40 minutes. I was badly treated and the police wanted to put me in jail. I told them if I had done any illegal work, then I should be allowed to speak to the embassy. But they didn’t cooperate,” he said.