Desk report: Dr Zahed Ur Rahman, Information and Broadcasting Adviser to Bangladesh’s Prime Minister, is returning home after being temporarily denied entry into India and subjected to “harassing” treatment at New Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport.
According to media reports, Dr Zahed arrived in the Indian capital on Sunday evening to attend a two-day senior officials’ meeting of the Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA), which is set to begin on Monday. He was scheduled to lead the Bangladesh delegation at the meeting.
Sources said the Bangladesh High Commission in New Delhi had formally informed India’s Ministry of External Affairs on Friday through a diplomatic note about Dr Zahed’s visit and his role as head of the Bangladeshi delegation.
However, upon his arrival at Indira Gandhi International Airport on Sunday evening, Indian immigration authorities reportedly stopped him and questioned him for about two and a half hours. Initially, no clear explanation was provided regarding the reason for the delay or whether he would be allowed to enter India.
Media reports, citing sources close to the PM’s Information Adviser, said that although Indian authorities eventually granted him permission to enter the country, he chose not to proceed with his visit in protest against what he considered disrespectful treatment. He subsequently requested the return of his passport and decided to return to Bangladesh.
Dr Zahed left New Delhi for Colombo later on Sunday night and is expected to arrive in Dhaka by Monday afternoon.
Neither the Bangladeshi nor the Indian authorities issued an immediate official statement on the incident.
