Ajit Doval. (Image source: ANI)
Bangladesh’s National Security Adviser (NSA) Khalilur Rahman met India’s NSA Ajit Doval in New Delhi on Wednesday, marking the first high-level interaction between the two sides since former Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who is currently in India, was sentenced to death. During the meeting, Rahman officially invited Doval to visit Dhaka, according to reports.
Rahman reached New Delhi on Tuesday evening, arriving a day earlier than planned. He is in the city to attend the seventh NSA-level meeting of the Colombo Security Conclave (CSC), which is scheduled to be held on 20 November under Doval’s leadership.
Before the CSC meeting, Rahman was expected to take part in a dinner hosted by Doval on Wednesday. He will join the regional security discussions on Thursday and return to Dhaka soon after. Officials from both countries remained quiet on whether the two NSAs had any separate bilateral talks planned during Rahman’s original schedule.
According to a statement shared by the Bangladesh High Commission in India, the two officials discussed the ongoing work of the CSC as well as “key bilateral issues.” The statement, quoted by The Print, said the meeting took place in New Delhi along with members of both delegations.
Rahman is only the second senior leader from Bangladesh’s interim government to visit India after the removal of Sheikh Hasina from power in August 2024. His visit comes just 48 hours after Hasina was sentenced to death by the International Crimes Tribunal-Bangladesh (ICT-B) on charges of “crimes against humanity.”
The charges are linked to her government’s actions during student-led protests in Bangladesh between June and August 2024. Her former Home Minister, Asaduzzaman Kamal Khan, also received a death sentence from the ICT-B. Hasina left Dhaka on 5 August 2024, shortly after the unrest peaked, and has been staying in New Delhi since then.
Earlier this week, Bangladesh formally urged India to send Hasina back, saying that any country sheltering her was showing “disregard for justice.”
Shivam Verma is a journalist with over three years of experience in digital newsrooms. He currently works at NewsX, having previously worked for Firstpost and DNA India. A postgraduate diploma holder in Integrated Journalism from the Asian College of Journalism, Chennai, Shivam focuses on international affairs, diplomacy, defence, and politics. Beyond the newsroom, he is passionate about football—both playing and watching—and enjoys travelling to explore new places and cuisines.
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