Advisor Dr. Zahed Ur Rahman detained at Delhi airport: India-Bangladesh relations in the face of diplomatic discomfort and questions

POBNEWS24, Dhaka June 15, 2026 : The detention of Bangladesh Prime Minister’s Policy and Strategy Advisor Dr. Zahed Ur Rahman by the immigration authorities at Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport for several hours has created diplomatic discomfort between the two countries. Although he was later allowed entry, he canceled his visit to India and returned to Dhaka. The Bangladesh Foreign Ministry summoned the Acting High Commissioner of India and expressed formal dissatisfaction over the incident.
Dr. Zahed Ur Rahman went to Delhi to lead the Bangladesh delegation to the meeting of senior officials of the Indian Ocean Regional Cooperation (IORA) held on June 15-16. He was traveling on a regular (green) Bangladeshi passport and SAARC visa.
After reaching Delhi airport on Sunday evening, Indian immigration officials flagged his name during security check. He was then questioned and kept waiting for a long time. According to various sources, he was stuck in the immigration process for about two and a half hours.
Bangladeshi sources claim that he was subjected to “unwanted harassment”. Although the Indian authorities have not officially given a detailed explanation about the allegations.
However, according to some media reports, the Indian authorities later allowed him to enter after high-level intervention. However, in the context of the long wait and the incident, Dr. Zahed decided to cancel his visit without entering India. He returned to Dhaka via Colombo on Monday afternoon.
In this incident, Bangladeshi Foreign Minister Dr. Khalilur Rahman described the incident as “unexpected and unfortunate” and said that the government is taking necessary steps in the matter.
On the same day, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs summoned the Acting High Commissioner of India in Dhaka, Pawan Kumar Badhe. In the meeting, Bangladesh expressed dissatisfaction with the incident.
Different explanations have emerged from different sources about the cause of the incident.
Some reports say that he was stopped as part of a normal verification process after his name was on the security list.
On the other hand, an Indian source claimed that he did not have the required Indian visa and was travelling only with a SAARC sticker. However, this claim could not be independently verified and was not confirmed by the Bangladesh government.
Bangladeshi diplomatic sources said that India had been informed about his visit in advance through a diplomatic note.
According to political and diplomatic analysts, the incident is not just an administrative complication related to the airport but also highlights the sensitive reality of the current Bangladesh-India relations. The detention of a high-ranking government advisor at the airport and the subsequent cancellation of his visit raises questions of diplomatic courtesy and mutual trust.
Meanwhile, the issue was also raised in the Bangladesh National Parliament on Monday. A member of parliament demanded an explanation from the government about the incident and a statement on diplomatic action.
The incident of Dr. Zahed Ur Rahman being detained at the Delhi airport has become a major issue in Bangladesh-India diplomatic talks. The real reason for the incident is yet to be fully explained by the two countries. However, Bangladesh’s formal protest and the summoning of the Indian representative indicate that the Dhaka government is considering the matter very seriously.
Diplomatic analysts believe that its true diplomatic significance will become clearer only after a full explanation of this incident and the official positions of the two countries are revealed.