Staff Reporter:
Bangladesh has sought consular access to two suspects detained in India in connection with Osman Hadi murder case, State Minister for Foreign Affairs Shama Obaed Islam said yesterday.
“We asked the consular access … we will pursue the matters through diplomatic channels,” she told re-porters at the foreign ministry this afternoon.
The state minister said Kolkata Police had recently arrested two individuals as suspects in the killing and reportedly placed them under a 14-day remand.
She said Bangladesh’s Deputy High Commission in Kolkata had already contacted the relevant authori-ties and formally requested consular access to obtain further information and verify the identities of the detainees.
“Once we receive the full details and consular access is granted, we will be able to move forward with the next steps,” she said.
Shama Obaed Islam said Bangladesh has a prisoner exchange agreement with India and the government would consider using that mechanism if the suspects are confirmed to be involved in the crime.
“If the suspects are identified as perpetrators of the killing, we certainly want justice. In that case, we will contact the Indian government through diplomatic channels to bring them back under the prisoner exchange agreement or through another appropriate legal mechanism,” she said.
Responding to a question about the timeline for their return, the state minister said the matter is current-ly under the legal and judicial process of another country, and Dhaka must wait for further develop-ments.
“We have requested consular access and are following our rules and procedures. We hope India will co-operate with us in this matter,” she added.
She said if consular access is granted, Bangladeshi officials would meet the detainees in accordance with international procedures to verify their identities and facts before deciding on the next course of action.
Asked about communication with India, the state minister said Bangladesh has already contacted the au-thorities through its mission in Kolkata and formally sought consular access, but no response has yet been received from either Kolkata or New Delhi.
