New Delhi: Bangladesh on Monday (June 15) summoned India’s deputy high commissioner to protest the treatment of Prime Minister’s Adviser on Policy and Strategy Affairs Zahed ur Rahman, who abandoned an official visit to India after being held up for more than two hours by immigration authorities at Delhi airport.This was Dhaka’s first formal response to the incident, which occurred on Sunday when Rahman arrived in New Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International airport to lead Bangladesh’s delegation to the June 15-16 meeting of senior officials of the Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA).India’s deputy high commissioner and acting mission chief in Dhaka, Pawan Badhe, was summoned to the foreign ministry, where officials conveyed Bangladesh’s “displeasure” over the incident, as per the UNB news agency.Earlier, Bangladesh foreign minister Khalilur Rahman described the episode as “unexpected and unfortunate,” adding that the ministry was taking appropriate steps in response and would clarify its position later in the day.State minister for foreign affairs Shama Obaed Islam also criticised the incident, saying it was “certainly not welcoming” and that Dhaka did not expect such an episode to occur. She said the foreign ministry was in communication with India and would consider further action once all the facts had been established.Diplomatic sources told The Wire that Bangladesh’s high commissioner to India M. Riaz Hamidullah was present at the airport and identified Rahman to immigration authorities. Indian officials had also been informed in advance that he would be leading Bangladesh’s delegation, the sources added.Also read: Is West Bengal’s Politics Poisoning India’s Bangladesh Policy?According to the sources, other members of the Bangladeshi delegation cleared immigration without difficulty while Rahman remained held up for more than two hours.After waiting for over two and half hours, Rahman decided not to proceed with the visit and informed officials that he would return to Dhaka, the sources said.They added that Indian officials subsequently informed him that the issue could be resolved and urged him to continue with the visit. However, Rahman chose not to enter India and instead travelled onward to Colombo before returning to Dhaka.There has been no official statement from the Indian government explaining the incident.Also read: Bangladesh’s Largest Private Bank Becomes New Flashpoint between BNP and JamaatCNN-News18, citing unnamed sources, reported on Sunday that Rahman had been stopped after his name appeared on a security-related watchlist during routine immigration checks. According to the channel, the issue stemmed from an apparent administrative error. While his name had allegedly been removed from a social media-related blacklist, it reportedly remained on an immigration watchlist, triggering an alert on arrival. The report said he was subsequently cleared for entry after the discrepancy was identified.On Monday, Indian sources confirmed that Rahman had been held up as his name was on the watchlist and not removed.According to Indian officials, Rahman had not applied for a visa through the Indian high commission in Dhaka, meaning authorities there were unaware that his name remained on the watchlist and were therefore unable to flag the issue in advance.Officials said Rahman was held for verification after his name triggered an alert on arrival. They added that he was subsequently granted a one-time exemption to enter India, but by then had decided to return to Dhaka on a night flight via Colombo.There remains some lack of clarity over whether advance notice of Rahman’s visit had been properly communicated. Diplomatic sources in New Delhi maintained that the ministry of external affairs had been informed well in advance that he would be travelling as part of Bangladesh’s delegation.He is one of Bangladesh’s best-known political commentators. A physician by training, Rahman built a large following through newspaper columns, television appearances and his YouTube channel “Zahed’s Take” before joining the government earlier this year as advisor to the prime minister with rank of state minister. Incidentally, his YouTube channel is still unavailable in India.Sources familiar with the matter did not believe the issue was connected to the passport he was carrying, noting that Indian authorities were aware of his official status and planned participation in the IORA meeting. Rahman was travelling on an ordinary passport with a SAARC visa sticker.The rest of Bangladesh’s delegation, including an additional secretary, nevertheless participated in the IORA meeting.While describing the incident as regrettable, sources in Bangladesh familiar with the matter said it was unlikely to become the defining issue in a relationship already dealing with more substantive challenges.“There is a logic to our relationship with India. There is no alternative to our two countries engaging with each other in a logical and rational manner,” they said.The sources argued that while Bangladesh widely recognises the importance of maintaining constructive ties with India, the same strategic reality applies to New Delhi. They added that moving beyond recent strains would require goodwill from both sides and a willingness to go beyond routine diplomacy.The summons was the second time the Indian mission’s acting head, Pawan Badhe, has been called in by Bangladesh’s foreign ministry since Prime Minister Tarique Rahman’s government took office. In April, Dhaka summoned him to protest remarks by Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, which it described as harmful to bilateral ties. Bangladesh had also objected to Sarma’s public comments about the alleged pushback of undocumented migrants across the border.The episode comes amid efforts by India and Bangladesh to stabilise ties after a turbulent period that followed the fall of former prime minister Sheikh Hasina and the subsequent interim administration in Dhaka.The incident also comes as Prime Minister Tarique Rahman prepares for his first overseas visits since taking office. He is expected to travel to Malaysia later this month before visiting China, a trip that is likely to be closely watched in New Delhi.While engagement has increased since Tarique Rahman’s government took office, differences have persisted over several issues, including Dhaka’s criticism of what it describes as the forcible push-in of Bangladeshi nationals across the border by Indian authorities.New Delhi has also sought to place renewed emphasis on the relationship through the appointment of former Union minister and BJP leader Dinesh Trivedi as high commissioner to Bangladesh, replacing career diplomat Pranay Verma.This article has been updated and republished at 5.45 pm and then updated again at 10:57 pm on the same day.