Dinesh Trivedi likely to join in mid-June
India’s newly appointed High Commissioner to Bangladesh, Dinesh Trivedi, is expected to arrive in Dhaka in mid-June to assume his diplomatic responsibilities, according to sources at the Indian High Commission in Dhaka.
Trivedi will replace Pranay Verma, who has been serving in Dhaka since September 2022 and is scheduled to leave Bangladesh shortly. Verma has already been appointed as India’s next ambassador to Belgium and is expected to take up his new posting in Brussels soon.
India formally appointed Trivedi as its next High Commissioner to Bangladesh in late April, marking a significant diplomatic move at a time when Dhaka and New Delhi are seeking to restore momentum in bilateral relations following months of strain.
Relations between Bangladesh and India experienced turbulence during the tenure of the interim administration led by Muhammad Yunus after the fall of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in August 2024.
Political uncertainty and differing positions on several regional and bilateral issues had contributed to a cooling of ties between the two neighbours.
However, since the BNP-led government assumed office, both Dhaka and New Delhi have taken visible steps to rebuild trust and re-engage diplomatically.
Against this backdrop, the government of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has decided to send a senior politician rather than a career diplomat to Dhaka, a move widely seen as politically significant.
The appointment of Trivedi also marks the first time in many years that India has nominated an active political figure as High Commissioner to Bangladesh.
A veteran Indian politician, the 75-year-old Trivedi previously served as India’s railway minister in the cabinet of former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh while representing the All India Trinamool Congress.
He came under intense pressure from his party leadership in 2012 after proposing fare increases in the railway budget and was subsequently forced to resign from the post.
Trivedi also served as India’s minister of state for health and family welfare and has been a member of both houses of the Indian Parliament – the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha.
He represented West Bengal in the Lok Sabha and later Gujarat in the Rajya Sabha.
In February 2021, he resigned from the Trinamool Congress and joined India’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party the following month.
Diplomatic observers in Dhaka view his appointment as an indication that New Delhi intends to place greater political emphasis on managing relations with Bangladesh at a sensitive regional moment, particularly as both countries seek to stabilise ties and strengthen cooperation on trade, connectivity, security and regional diplomacy.
Dinesh Trivedi is set to assume charge as India’s High Commissioner to Bangladesh at a moment, following the collapse of Mamata Banerjee’s 15-year political stronghold in West Bengal and the rise of Suvendu Adhikari, backed by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The transition comes amid renewed tensions along the Bangladesh-India border. On Saturday, the killing of two Bangladeshis by India’s Border Security Force at the Brahmanbaria border triggered criticism in Bangladesh.
Prime Minister’s Political Adviser Ruhul Kabir Rizvi warned that friendly relations would remain difficult unless India halted border killings.
At the same time, concerns over possible “push-ins” have resurfaced in the media and political circles following the political change in West Bengal.
Perceptions are growing that such incidents may increase under the new political arrangement. However, observers note that allegations of push-ins and incidents of border killings had also continued during the tenure of the All India Trinamool Congress government led by Mamata Banerjee.
At the State Guest House on May 5, Foreign Minister Dr Khalilur Rahman told the journalists that Bangladesh would take necessary measures if any incident related to push-in occur during the change of power in West Bengal.
“If any kind of push-in takes place after the change of power in West Bengal, Dhaka would not hesitate to take countermeasures,” he said.
Observers say Trivedi’s tenure should prioritise addressing border tensions, preventing civilian deaths and rebuilding trust in order to strengthen good neighbourly relations between the two South Asian nations.
