India Deports Bangladeshi Activist Wanted in Officer Killing

A Bangladeshi student activist wanted in connection with the killing of a police officer during last year's nationwide protests was detained by immigration authorities at New Delhi's Indira Gandhi International Airport on Thursday and subsequently deported to his home country.

The individual, identified as Ahmed Raza Hasan Mehdi and a resident of Habiganj district in Bangladesh, was intercepted while attempting to board a flight to a European destination, according to official sources. Mehdi had entered India on January 17 to submit documents at the Finnish embassy in the capital for a visa application. Delhi Police officers questioned him for approximately 30 minutes at the airport, after which immigration officials completed necessary procedures and placed him on a return flight to Bangladesh.

Mehdi faces charges related to the murder of Sub-Inspector Santosh Chowdhury, a Hindu officer, on August 5, 2024. The incident occurred amid widespread student-led protests against then-Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's government, which escalated into violence across the country and ultimately contributed to her ouster that same day. At the Baniachang police station in Habiganj, protesters...