What happened to adviser Zahed at Delhi airport

Prime Minister’s Information and Broadcasting Adviser Zahed Ur Rahman encountered difficulties upon arriving in Delhi to attend a meeting of senior officials of the Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA).

On Sunday afternoon, Indian immigration authorities at Indira Gandhi International Airport reportedly denied him entry without providing any reason. Although clearance was later granted following intervention from higher authorities, the adviser chose not to enter India and returned to Dhaka via Colombo on Monday.

Sources in both Dhaka and Delhi told Prothom Alo that Zahed Ur Rahman was kept waiting for about two and a half hours after arriving at the airport. Discussions with diplomats familiar with the matter have provided the following account of the incident.

Shortly after 5:00 pm on Sunday, Zahed Ur Rahman arrived at Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport on an Air India flight from Dhaka. He was received by Bangladesh High Commissioner to India M Riaz Hamidullah, who accompanied him to the immigration counter.

At one point, the High Commissioner noticed that the immigration officer was carefully examining the adviser’s personal details on a computer screen but was not saying anything. After about 15 minutes, the High Commissioner asked whether there was any problem, but the officer remained silent.

A short while later, the officer asked Zahed Ur Rahman where he was born and whether he had previously travelled to India. The officer then left the desk and went inside. Upon returning, he took the adviser’s fingerprints and iris scan.

Some time later, the immigration officer told him, “Please take a seat on the sofa. This may take some time.”

As the delay continued, the Bangladesh High Commissioner contacted relevant officials at India’s Ministry of External Affairs. Several telephone conversations took place between the two sides.

Eventually, Indian foreign ministry officials informed the High Commissioner that immigration records were showing Zahed Ur Rahman as being on a barred or watch list.

Following the incident, which Bangladeshi officials viewed as humiliating, the adviser contacted the highest political authorities in Dhaka.

After consultations with the government, he decided to return home instead of entering India.

Officials from the Bangladesh High Commission then requested that Indian immigration authorities return his passport. At that point, Indian officials reportedly informed them that the clearance process had been completed and that Zahed Ur Rahman was free to enter the country.

During the episode, which unfolded in the immigration area of Delhi airport, passengers from Bangladesh and several other countries witnessed the events.