New Delhi: A leader of the ousted Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's party, Ishaque Ali Khan Panna, was found dead in a betel nut plantation near the India-Bangladesh border in Meghalaya's East Jaintia Hills district on Monday (August 26) evening, news agency PTI reported.

According to police superintendent Giri Prasad, Panna's body was discovered approximately 1.5 km from the border at Dona Bhoi. Prasad also mentioned that deceased person's identity was confirmed through his passport.

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Panna was a former general secretary of the Bangladesh Chhatra League and a key figure in the Awami League from Pirojpur district in Bangladesh. He had been evading authorities since the collapse of the Sheikh Hasina government on August 5.

The dead body was sent to Khliehriat Civil Hospital for further examination and identification.

Preliminary reports suggested that Panna may have died from a cardiac arrest while attempting to cross the border. However, conflicting accounts indicate that he might have been involved in a shootout with the Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB), and police are investigating both possibilities, PTI report added.

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