Acting Indian High Commissioner in Dhaka summoned to foreign ministry

The government has strongly protested recent remarks by Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma regarding Bangladesh.

Acting Indian High Commissioner in Dhaka, Pawan Badhe, was summoned to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs this Thursday afternoon and handed a note of protest.

A senior official of the foreign ministry confirmed the matter to Prothom Alo Thursday evening.

Sources said the Indian envoy was called to the office of Director General (South Asia Wing) Ishrat Jahan at the foreign ministry after 5pm today, where the formal protest was conveyed.

It is learned that an interview given by Himanta Biswa Sarma to ABP Live in mid-April has come to the attention of the government. In that interview, he made derogatory and misleading remarks about Bangladesh-India relations. Dhaka has completely rejected his claims, particularly regarding the alleged “pushback” of undocumented migrants.

After summoning the acting Indian High Commissioner, the foreign ministry clearly stated that making public statements without evidence on such sensitive bilateral issues is not helpful for relations between the two neighbouring countries. Any unresolved issues should be addressed through international norms and existing bilateral mechanisms. It also urged Indian political leaders to refrain from making comments in the future that could affect relations between the two countries.

When asked on ABP Live whether suspected undocumented individuals of Bangladeshi origin are handed over to Bangladesh through due process, Himanta Biswa Sarma replied that doing so through India’s Ministry of External Affairs is difficult. Therefore, they wait until nightfall and, when no border security personnel are present, push them across the border under the cover of darkness.