On a Thursday in Dhaka, river police drew the body of a former Bangladesh Air Force officer, KM Tahsif Souri, from the water at Tongi Bandar Ghat, a death that now waits on a postmortem to say what the river alone cannot. His name has drawn attention only because of a video reportedly made during the turbulent days of August 2024, when a government fell and a prime minister left the country, yet the authorities have drawn no line between that footage and his fate. Such stories often carry more weight than their facts can bear, and here the honest course is to hold the question open: a man is g
Former Air Force Officer Linked to Video of Hasina's Departure Found Dead in Dhaka River
A former Bangladesh Air Force officer was found dead in a river in Dhaka, and his family says he had voiced unexplained safety concerns.
He went downstairs but never returned home.
Mark
Why is this death getting attention beyond a routine river recovery?
Mimi
Because of who he reportedly was. Souri is said to have recorded the video of Hasina leaving in August 2024, and that moment ended her government.
Luke
Careful with 'reportedly.' The video connection is attributed, not confirmed in what we have, and police have found no link between it and his death.
Mark
What do we actually know about how he died?
Mimi
Very little. His body was recovered at Tongi Bandar Ghat after a 999 call, and drowning is suspected.
Luke
Suspected, not established. The postmortem is what will say, and until then nobody can responsibly name a cause.
Mark
His father mentioned safety concerns. Does that change things?
Mimi
It adds weight to the family's side of it. Helal said Souri occasionally worried about his safety but never said why.
Luke
Which means we don't know whether those worries had anything to do with the video, his work, or something else entirely. It's an unexplained detail, not evidence.
Mark
What about the last day?
Mimi
A junior colleague named Dip came by, Souri told his mother he'd go down to talk to him, and he never came back.
Luke
That's the father's account. Nothing here says police have spoken to Dip or what that meeting involved.
Le Pouls
- A former Air Force officer was found dead in a Dhaka river, and the cause remains unsettled while drowning is only suspected.
- Police identified him from a phone and a wristwatch after a 999 emergency call sent them to Tongi Bandar Ghat.
- His family says he voiced vague fears for his safety and was summoned downstairs by a colleague on the day he vanished.
- A reported video of Sheikh Hasina's 2024 departure has pulled the case into public attention, though no evidence ties it to his death.
- The postmortem at Shaheed Suhrawardy Medical College Hospital will decide whether this becomes a wider investigation.
On a Thursday in Dhaka, river police drew the body of a former Bangladesh Air Force officer, KM Tahsif Souri, from the water at Tongi Bandar Ghat, a death that now waits on a postmortem to say what the river alone cannot. His name has drawn attention only because of a video reportedly made during the turbulent days of August 2024, when a government fell and a prime minister left the country, yet the authorities have drawn no line between that footage and his fate. Such stories often carry more weight than their facts can bear, and here the honest course is to hold the question open: a man is gone, his family asks who is responsible, and the answer has not yet arrived.
River police pulled the body of KM Tahsif Souri from the water at Tongi Bandar Ghat in Dhaka on Thursday, after an emergency call through the 999 helpline brought them there. Souri was a former Bangladesh Air Force officer who, according to reports, recorded a video of then-Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina leaving the country during the violent protests of August 2024. A mobile phone and a wristwatch found with the body helped authorities confirm who he was.
The body was sent for postmortem examination. Police say the circumstances remain unclear and drowning is suspected, but nothing reported so far explains what happened before he reached the water.
His father, KM Enayetul Karim Helal, told Jago News that he does not know who is responsible. Souri had sometimes voiced concern about his safety without ever explaining it. After being dismissed from the Air Force on disciplinary grounds, he had worked at the Bangladesh Cricket Board, Netra News, and most recently Virgo Tobacco. On the day he disappeared, a junior colleague came to the building asking for him downstairs. Souri told his mother that Dip had arrived and went down to talk, and he never returned.
The reported video is why the case has drawn wider notice. Hasina fled Dhaka on August 5, 2024, and has remained in exile in India, vowing to return. Police have not connected Souri's death to that footage; for now the link exists in public attention, not evidence. The postmortem is the next thing to watch.
River police pulled the body of KM Tahsif Souri from the water at Tongi Bandar Ghat in Dhaka on Thursday. They had been alerted through 999, the national emergency helpline. Souri was a former Bangladesh Air Force officer who, according to reports, recorded a video of then-Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina leaving the country during the violent protests of August 2024.
The body was sent to Shaheed Suhrawardy Medical College Hospital for a postmortem examination. Two items found with it, a mobile phone and a wristwatch, helped authorities establish who he was.
Police have said the circumstances of his death remain unclear. Drowning is suspected, but officials said the postmortem report should determine the exact cause. Nothing in the reporting so far says what happened to him before he was in the river.
His father, KM Enayetul Karim Helal, told Jago News that he does not know who is responsible for his son's death. He said Souri had occasionally voiced concern about his safety, but never explained what was troubling him. Helal also said Souri had been dismissed from the Air Force on disciplinary grounds. After that, he worked at the Bangladesh Cricket Board, then at Netra News, and most recently at Virgo Tobacco.
Helal described the day his son disappeared. Before evening, one of Souri's junior colleagues came to the building and asked for him downstairs. Souri reportedly told his mother that Dip had arrived and that he would go down to talk to him. He left the apartment and never came back.
The reported video is the reason his death has drawn wider attention. Hasina fled Dhaka on August 5, 2024, as mass protests brought down her government. She reportedly left by military helicopter and then boarded a Bangladesh Air Force C-130J Hercules bound for the Hindon airbase in Ghaziabad, India. She has remained in exile in India and has vowed to return to Bangladesh.
Police have not established any connection between Souri's death and the video he reportedly recorded. For now the link is one of public attention, not of evidence. The postmortem findings are the next thing to watch, since they may show whether the circumstances call for a wider investigation.
Citations marquantes
He did not know who was responsible for his son's death, and said Souri had occasionally expressed concern about his safety without explaining why.— KM Enayetul Karim Helal, Souri's father, to Jago News
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