Ex-Bangladesh officer found dead after rejecting allegations of links to RAW
A former Bangladesh air force officer was found dead near Turag River in Dhaka on Wednesday, weeks after his podcast questioning allegations linking him to a video purportedly showing former prime minister Sheikh Hasina fleeing the country in August 2024. The 28-year-old former flight lieutenant Tahsif Souri had gone missing a day before his body was recovered. Police said an inquest report found no external injury marks on his body, though blood was seen coming out of his nose. His body was sent to Shaheed Suhrawardy Medical College for an autopsy. Souri had been "compulsorily retired" from service about a year after the fall of the Hasina government. His death has brought renewed attention to a podcast interview in which he spoke about allegations that he had recorded and circulated footage of Hasina leaving Bangladesh on August 5, 2024. The interview resurfaced following the recovery of his body.
What ex-Bangladesh officer said about allegations
During the interview as cited by the Dhaka Tribune, the host referred to a media report alleging that footage of Hasina leaving the country had been recorded at Kurmitola Airport and circulated by Souri. The report had also reportedly linked him to an investigation into the alleged involvement of the Research and Analysis Wing (RAW), within the Bangladesh air force. Responding to the allegations, Souri said the report had claimed that flight lieutenant Rifat Ashrafi recorded the video and that he had circulated it. He questioned the evidence behind the claim that he had shared the footage. “Even if I recorded the video or circulated it, what proof do they have? I want to ask that,” he said. Asked whether the allegations had led to his dismissal from the air force, Souri said this was possible but declined to disclose details of the events at the time. “I cannot disclose everything, and there are things I am unable to discuss. I think they did this because of these allegations,” he said. Souri also said he faced social embarrassment and harassment after the report was published, claiming its headline and presentation had created a misleading impression of him among readers. He rejected allegations of RAW's involvement within the air force, saying: “If I were linked to RAW, why would I be in Bangladesh? If I were linked to RAW, why would I speak publicly?” He described the allegation as “a very ridiculous claim”. Souri further claimed that the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) directorate had said he had no such involvement. However, no detailed documents supporting the claim were presented during the interview. Asked whether he had appealed against his discharge from the air force, Souri said he had not and was uncertain whether he would do so in the future. He also expressed frustration over the withholding of his passport, describing it as a violation of his democratic rights. “They had withheld my passport, which is my democratic right. I am deeply upset about this. I suffered for two years,” he said, adding that he had since recovered the passport. Souri's interview prompted the military's public relations directorate, ISPR, to reiterate its August 4, 2025, statement. It had denied reports that action against Souri and flight lieutenant Rifat Ashrafi was linked to allegations that the officers had recorded and shared the video showing Hasina fleeing the country. During the podcast, Souri dismissed as propaganda a 2024 media report claiming he was an agent of RAW. However, he neither confirmed nor denied his alleged links to the video. Souri's father, KM Enayetul Karim Helal, told reporters that an acquaintance, Dwip, had taken his son out on Tuesday evening. "Tahsif sent his mother a message round 1:30am Wednesday, saying he would return home. But he never did" said Helal. Bangladesh home minister Salahuddin Ahmed told reporters that he would comment after the initial probe and autopsy findings. He did not respond when asked whether Souri had shot the video. Meanwhile, Ashraful Alam Khokan, a former aide of Hasina, questioned whether Souri had been deliberately targeted through media reports. "Was Tahsif deliberately portrayed in the media as an agent of RAW with the intention of getting him killed? "At the time, however, his activities were reportedly aligned with those who seized power in July," he said, referring to the Muhammad Yunus-led government.
