Bangladesh expects cooperation from India on granting consular access and the subsequent extradition of two suspects arrested in West Bengal in connection with the Hadi murder case, State Minister for Foreign Affairs Shama Obaed said today.

“The two suspects have likely been taken on a 14-day remand. Our Deputy High Commission in Kolkata has already contacted the Indian authorities and requested consular access as the information we have so far is not sufficient,” Shama said while speaking to journalists at the ministry.

She said Bangladesh has yet to receive any response from the Indian side. Once consular access is granted, Bangladeshi officials will be able to verify the identity of the accused and determine the next steps.

“We need to wait a bit until we have the full information. Once we get consular access, we can move forward,” she said.

She noted that Bangladesh and India have an extradition treaty, and if the suspects are identified, they will be extradited and justice will be ensured.

India’s West Bengal Police Special Task Force (STF) arrested the prime accused and an alleged associate in the murder from the border area of Bongaon in the Indian state of West Bengal.

The arrestees are Faisal Karim Masud, 37, a resident of Patuakhali, and Alamgir Hossain, 34, from Dhaka.

On January 6 this year, DB Inspector Faisal Ahmed, the investigation officer of the case, submitted a charge sheet against the prime accused, four of his family members, and 12 others.

In the charge sheet, the investigation officer said analysis of the accused persons’ political affiliations and Hadi’s political statements suggested the killing stemmed from political rivalry.

The charge sheet also mentioned that Faisal and his associates infiltrated Hadi’s election campaign as part of a pre-planned effort to disrupt the 13th parliamentary election and create fear among voters.

Asked how quickly the government could secure their extradition, Shama Obaed said she could not say anything definitively as the matter falls under another country’s legal process.

“We all want justice for the Hadi murder; we wanted justice when it occurred, and we want it now. We hope India will cooperate with us in this matter.”

“Since a new government has come to power in Bangladesh, they want to establish relations anew through mutual respect,” she said, adding that India should now focus on implementing its commitments to improving relations.