Body of Former Air Force Officer Tawsif Souri Recovered From Turag River, Questions Swirl on Social Media Over 5 August Video

The body of former Bangladesh Air Force Flight Lieutenant K M Tawsif Souri has been recovered from the Turag River, a day after he went missing. His death has sparked widespread discussion and uproar on social media.

According to Uttarkhan and Tenzi naval police outpost sources, he had been missing since the night of 27 October, and his body was recovered from the Turag River on the afternoon of 28 October.

Speculation that Tawsif Souri played a role in releasing the much-discussed video filmed from behind Ganabhaban on 5 August 2024, at the time of then prime minister Sheikh Hasina's departure from the country, has given rise to various questions and suspicions on social media surrounding his death.

A section of social media users are claiming that Tawsif Souri was involved in the 5 August video going viral or being leaked. Many of his former classmates and acquaintances have posted on Facebook that, if this was not a mere accident or a personal feud, there could be a political or motivated reason behind it.

A classmate named KSM Intisar Inzimam — who said they studied together at Adamjee College and later did the joint service course together at the Bangladesh Military Academy as 79 BMA equivalent coursemates — wrote on Facebook: 'Flight Lieutenant Tahsif Sauri. The body of this boy, who was involved in making Hasina's video viral, has floated up in the Turag River today.'

He wrote: 'The night before last he went out, and then this happened. In the photo of his body, his hands are smeared with mud. Everything else is clean — what that indicates, I do not want to say right now. But unless it is clearly proved to be a personal feud or an accident, I will assume it is political.'

He further noted: 'After the 5 August video was leaked, he was defamed in many ways. But as far as I know, no police case could be filed against him, although he was defamed a great deal. So I believe everything is connected with the leak of that video of Hasina's helicopter. Because even before the 5 August incident, I met him at Falcon a week earlier; he was on general duty.'

However, some have also commented that it would not be right to directly link the death to the 5 August video before there is proof.

Cyber security analyst Tanvir Hasan Joha and others have written on Facebook that a neutral and transparent investigation is needed to find the real cause of death. They have strongly demanded that, for the sake of the investigation, the CCTV footage of the deceased's last movements, call detail records (CDR) and other evidence from his final moments be preserved quickly.

In a post from his verified Facebook ID, Tanvir Hasan Joha wrote: 'News has spread that the body of retired Flight Lieutenant K M Tahsif Sauri has been recovered after he went missing. The concerned authorities need to quickly provide official confirmation and detailed information about the news.'

He wrote: 'If the incident is true, we want a neutral and transparent investigation to know how he died. Alongside the autopsy, it is urgent to quickly preserve the CCTV of his last movements, phone records and evidence of possible threats. The reported connection with the release of the discussed video should also be verified. But it is not right to link the death to that incident before proof. A family's right to know the truth of his death does not depend on anyone's political assessment of a person. The family has the right to get answers. The progress of the investigation should be made public.'

Investigative journalist Zulkarnain Saer mentioned on his Facebook that Tahsif Suri was one of four officers dismissed from the Air Force in August 2024. He also said that although drowning is initially suspected, the real cause will be confirmed only after the autopsy.