In a July 2026 appearance on the YouTube podcast “Speak with Rashid” (episode titled around the Milestone School tragedy and Bangladesh Air Force issues), former Bangladesh Air Force Flight Lieutenant KM Tahsif Souri raised sharp questions about alleged corruption and luxury spending by senior officers, including overpriced equipment purchases used to fund children’s education abroad.
He also strongly rejected a report in the daily Amar Desh that labeled him an Indian intelligence (RAW) agent, calling it propaganda that damaged his career and personal life.
Souri, who served until around 2024 and was later linked in media reports to the viral footage of ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina departing by aircraft from Kurmitola Airport on August 5, 2024, highlighted what he described as systemic issues in Air Force procurement.
According to details from the podcast referenced in contemporaneous reporting, he pointed to examples such as a Tk50-crore aircraft allegedly purchased for Tk500 crore and a standard magnetic compass priced at Tk5 lakh. He questioned how national development was possible under such conditions, noting that senior officers were accused of using proceeds from corruption to send their children abroad for studies.
Broader comments in the episode also referenced budget discrepancies estimated at around 25 percent and total corruption cases potentially running into thousands of crores, with a culture in which “senior is always right.”
These remarks came amid discussion of Air Force preparedness, the July 21, 2025, Chengdu FT-7BGI training jet crash at Milestone School and College in Uttara (which killed 37 people, including students), and institutional issues. Souri, himself a former Milestone student and military pilot, emphasized flight safety, maintenance problems, and the gap between allocated budgets and actual modernization.
On the Amar Desh report—published by a newspaper associated with Jamaat-e-Islami and owned by journalist Mahmudur Rahman, which had been shut down under the previous government and relaunched later—Souri expressed clear anger. The paper had identified him and fellow officer Flight Lieutenant Rifat Ashrafi in connection with the Hasina departure video and alleged that an Air Force probe had uncovered links to India’s RAW.
Souri dismissed the claims as “propaganda” serving a particular narrative, calling them “ridiculous.” He challenged the evidence, noting that even if he had circulated (rather than recorded) the footage, proof was lacking, and asked why he would remain in Bangladesh and speak publicly if he were a foreign agent.
He described the fallout as causing social embarrassment, harassment, trauma, and professional ruin.
Following the Amar Desh report, authorities reportedly seized his passport for an extended period. Souri and associates indicated he faced ongoing monitoring; reports noted he was under intelligence surveillance after leaving service, with his cousin later alleging that detectives continued to watch him. His father has said Souri occasionally expressed general apprehension about his safety without specifying threats.
The Inter-Services Public Relations Directorate (ISPR) issued a rejoinder stating that Souri and Ashrafi had been retired through due process under existing Air Force rules in a different context, unrelated to the video allegations or any foreign intelligence links. Officials described media claims of compulsory retirement over those issues as misleading.
Souri’s body was recovered from the Turag River near Rajabari Ghat on October 28, 2026, a day after he left his Uttara home following a call from an acquaintance. Family members have alleged murder and dumping of the body, while investigators (including the Police Bureau of Investigation) have examined various leads, including possible involvement of local or other networks. An initial inquest reportedly found no external injury marks, with a postmortem underway. No formal case had been filed by the family as of late October, according to police statements. The podcast has drawn renewed attention following his death.
The episode, hosted by Mamunur Rashid, also covered Souri’s perspective on the Hasina video (he questioned evidence linking him directly to recording it) and broader Air Force challenges. Official accounts have maintained that his exit from service was administrative and not tied to the contested allegations.