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Published : 18 Feb 2026, 10:28 PM
Mahdi Hasan, a leader of the anti-discrimination movement from Habiganj who alleged he was “detained” at an airport in India, has returned to Bangladesh.
Speaking after arriving home on Wednesday afternoon, he claimed he was harassed at an Indian airport and also faced questioning at Dhaka airport.
Mahdi, accused of threatening police by saying he had “burned Baniachong Police Station and set an SI on fire”, had travelled to India to complete visa formalities for Finland.
A video of him at a visa centre there circulated on social media on Tuesday.
He alleged that police detained and questioned him at Delhi airport before sending him to Dhaka at 12:40pm on Wednesday.
He added that the reason for his detention was his position as a Student Against Discrimination leader, and alleged that his “life was in danger”.
Before returning to Bangladesh, Mahdi went live on Facebook from the airport, saying: “I am speaking from Delhi airport. What happened to me will be explained at a press conference after I return home. I was kept in police custody here for about 40 minutes.”
“I asked to speak to my country’s embassy, but I was still treated badly. Later, my immigration was rushed and I am being sent back home.”
Mahdi is the member secretary of the Habiganj district unit of Student Against Discrimination.
On Jan 1, he went to Shayestaganj Police Station after a man named Enamul Hasan Nayan was detained there.
At that time, he allegedly threatened the Shayestaganj Police chief by saying: “We burned the police station and set SI Santosh on fire.”
Police arrested him over the incident, but he secured bail within 24 hours amid protests.
Rumours have also circulated that several thousand dollars worth of cryptocurrency were found in his possession.
When asked by a journalist, Mahdi brushed it off as “rumours”.
