What India says about adviser Zahed’s return from Delhi airport

India’s Ministry of External Affairs has responded to questions over Bangladesh Prime Minister’s Adviser Zahed ur Rahman being questioned at Delhi airport during his visit to India and subsequently returning to Bangladesh.

At the ministry’s weekly briefing in Delhi yesterday, Tuesday, a journalist sought clarification on what exactly had happened during Adviser Zahed ur Rahman’s visit.

In response, Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said that on 14 June, the Bangladeshi prime minister’s adviser had arrived in India carrying a personal passport. That passport, he said, contained a SAARC visa. He had travelled with that passport and visa to attend the 28th meeting of the Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA).

Jaiswal said immigration officials at Delhi airport questioned him. After confirming the purpose of his visit, the immigration authorities granted him permission to enter India. However, the adviser returned to Dhaka of his own accord.

At the briefing, another journalist raised the issue of recent allegations of desecration of images and idols of Hindu deities in Bangladesh and asked whether the Indian government had taken any steps in this regard.

Responding to the question, Jaiswal said the government had received reports of a number of incidents in Bangladesh involving the desecration of images and idols of Hindu deities.

He noted that members of the Hindu community had also staged protests against those incidents.

He said India hoped that the Bangladesh government would take action against extremists there and ensure the interests and security of minorities.