Published: 12:36 AM, 16 June 2026
Delhi Airport incident unexpected and unfortunate: Foreign Ministry
Foreign Minister Dr. Khalilur Rahman has described the blocking of Prime Minister Tarique Rahman's Information and Broadcasting Advisor Zahed Ur Rahman's travel at the immigration checkpoint at New Delhi airport as an unexpected and unfortunate incident.
"This is an unexpected incident, as you said, it is also unfortunate," he told reporters in response to a question at the Foreign Ministry on Monday.
"The Foreign Ministry is taking appropriate measures and we'll update you at the end of the day," he added.
Zahed Ur Rahman arrived at New Delhi's Indira Gandhi International Airport on Sunday evening to attend a two-day meeting of the Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA), which began yesterday.
He was scheduled to lead the Bangladesh delegation team at the meeting.
However, Indian immigration authorities reportedly kept him waiting at the airport for nearly two and a half hours. During that time, it remained uncertain whether he would be granted entry into India. In the end, Zahed Ur Rahman decided to return to Bangladesh.
According to a report by Indian news outlet News18, immigration officials questioned Zahed Ur Rahman for an extended period before eventually allowing him entry into India. The adviser afterwards declined to proceed with the trip.
He later on decided to cancel the official tour and return home in protest against what he described as "discourteous treatment" and the prolonged delay.
Travelling from New Delhi to Colombo and then to Dhaka, he arrived at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport around 11:30am on Monday.
When journalists at the airport sought comments on the incident in Delhi, Zahed Ur Rahman declined to answer.
The episode comes at a time when reports suggest efforts are underway to improve relations between Bangladesh and India. Questions have since emerged over why an adviser from Bangladesh holding the rank of a state minister had to face such an embarrassing situation during an official foreign visit.
Posts on social media have suggested that Zahed Ur Rahman travelled to India using a regular passport and a SAARC visa rather than a diplomatic travel document.
However, newspapers could not independently verify that claim.
High-ups in the government are normally received by protocol officers from the Bangladesh mission in the host country upon arrival. What transpired in this case is not yet clarified.
Questions have also glared up whether the Bangladesh High Commission in New Delhi failed to coordinate the visit properly. The mission is still to issue any statement on this incident.
