Meghalaya: Awami League leader throttled to death, reveals post-mortem

The post-mortem of Bangladesh's Awami League leader Ishaque Ali Khan Panna, whose body was found in Meghalaya, revealed that he was throttled to death, an official said on Friday. 

There were also injury marks on his head. Panna's decomposed body was discovered by locals in a betelnut plantation at Dona Bhoi village in East Jaintia Hills district, about 1.5 km from the Bangladesh border, on August 26. 

He was identified through his passport. 

The Awami League was headed by Sheikh Hasina, who resigned as Bangladesh Prime Minister and fled to India on August 5 following massive student protests. 'According to the post-mortem report, Panna died of asphyxia. His windpipe was throttled. 

The Forensic Science Laboratory report will provide more details,' a senior government officer told PTI, requesting anonymity. 

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The autopsy was conducted at Khliehriat Civil Hospital in East Jaintia Hills district. The official added, 'There were lacerated wounds on the lower right part of the orbital region and bruises on the forehead. These marks indicated he had struggled before dying.' 

Another official said the government is waiting for Panna's family to approach through the proper diplomatic channel to hand over the body. 

Panna was a former general secretary of the Bangladesh Chhatra League and a prominent Awami League member from the Pirojpur district. 

He had been on the run following the fall of the Sheikh Hasina government on August 5, sources said. 

Initial reports suggested Panna might have suffered a cardiac arrest while trying to cross the border. 

However, there are conflicting accounts that he might have been involved in a shooting incident with the Border Guard Bangladesh, police said.