Archive · 6 Sep 2026
Column Alleges Official Divisions Over India-Bangladesh Ties and Institutions
This column says some officials may have disagreed about how India should improve its relationship with Bangladesh.
It reports that Dinesh Trivedi tried to help arrange a visit by Bangladesh’s Prime Minister Tarique Rahman.
The visit became uncertain after proposed dates were leaked.
The article also describes different decisions about public events involving Sheikh Hasina in Delhi.
It says some former Indian diplomats believe Bangladesh’s own disagreements may have caused the visit to be cancelled.
Another section discusses a student protest where police used harsh methods.
Two senior officials reportedly resisted calls for stronger action and later received extensions.
The column also discusses whether Delhi clubs make outsiders feel unwelcome.
Finally, it says Noel Tata’s Parsi status was affirmed after he completed a navjote ceremony before marriage.
Diplomatic insiders allege that a lobby within India’s Ministry of External Affairs obstructed efforts to improve India-Bangladesh relations.
High Commissioner Dinesh Trivedi reportedly persuaded Bangladesh Prime Minister Tarique Rahman to consider visiting India, but leaked dates were followed by uncertainty over the trip.
The Ministry of External Affairs allowed Sheikh Hasina to hold a virtual press conference at Delhi’s Foreign Correspondents Club, then later ordered a foreign-policy seminar there cancelled.
Cabinet Secretary T V Somanathan and Home Secretary Govind Mohan received one-year extensions after reportedly resisting pressure for harsher action during the Jantar Mantar student protests.
The column also examines elitism at Delhi clubs and a dispute over whether Noel Tata qualifies as a Parsi trustee under a 1923 charitable foundation deed.
- Who
- India’s Ministry of External Affairs, Dinesh Trivedi, Tarique Rahman, Sheikh Hasina, former Indian diplomats, senior Indian officials, student protesters, Delhi clubs, and members of the Tata charitable structure.
- What
- A column alleges divisions over India-Bangladesh rapprochement and examines the handling of student protests, elite club culture, and Parsi trustee eligibility.
- When
- The events discussed include developments earlier this year, a July police crackdown, a later press conference and seminar, and officials’ scheduled retirements this month.
- Where
- Delhi, India, Bangladesh, the Foreign Correspondents Club, the Delhi Press Club, the India International Centre, the Gymkhana Club, and Jantar Mantar.
- Why
- The column attributes the disputes to competing foreign-policy approaches, disagreements over policing, exclusionary social practices, and differing interpretations of Parsi eligibility rules.
Conciliation and Institutional Restraint
Non-Conciliatory and Exclusive Approaches
India-Bangladesh relations
Conciliation and Institutional Restraint
Dinesh Trivedi reportedly sought dialogue and worked toward a visit by Tarique Rahman.
Non-Conciliatory and Exclusive Approaches
The column says an internal Ministry of External Affairs lobby opposed or undermined the conciliatory effort; some former diplomats instead attribute the stalled visit to disagreements within Bangladesh.
Student protest policing
Conciliation and Institutional Restraint
The Home Secretary and Cabinet Secretary reportedly resisted political pressure for harsher measures and helped stop pellet firing.
Non-Conciliatory and Exclusive Approaches
Delhi Police used forceful methods during the Jantar Mantar agitation, and the confrontation reportedly escalated after Satish Golcha was replaced by Anurag Kumar.
Club access and social exclusion
Conciliation and Institutional Restraint
Supporters of the India International Centre can point to membership criteria based on professional accomplishments and interest in foreign affairs.
Non-Conciliatory and Exclusive Approaches
Critics of Delhi’s club culture say institutions such as the Gymkhana Club and, in some accounts, the India International Centre can make outsiders feel excluded or inferior.
- Reported diplomatic obstacle
- Diplomatic insiders in Delhi and Bangladesh allege that a lobby in India’s Ministry of External Affairs hindered efforts to improve bilateral relations.
- Proposed Bangladesh visit
- Dinesh Trivedi reportedly persuaded Tarique Rahman to agree to possible dates for a visit to India, but the visit later became uncertain.
- Contrasting media-event decisions
- The Ministry of External Affairs permitted Sheikh Hasina to hold a virtual press conference at the Foreign Correspondents Club but later ordered a foreign-policy seminar there cancelled.
- BRICS summit attendance
- The column says embittered relations made Rahman’s attendance at the BRICS summit in Delhi unlikely.
- Senior officials’ extensions
- Cabinet Secretary T V Somanathan and Home Secretary Govind Mohan reportedly received one-year extensions despite being due to retire.
- Jantar Mantar policing
- Govind Mohan reportedly helped halt pellet firing during the student agitation, with support from T V Somanathan.
- Parsi trustee requirement
- A 1923 deed of the Bai Hirabai Tata Charitable Foundation stipulates that its trustees should be Parsis; the column says Noel Tata’s status is not ambiguous.
