India names Dinesh Trivedi as High Commissioner to Bangladesh
India on Monday appointed Dinesh Trivedi, a senior leader of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and former Union minister, as its next High Commissioner to Bangladesh.
The decision marks a relatively rare instance of a non-Indian Foreign Service officer being chosen for the post and comes as New Delhi looks to recalibrate its relationship with Dhaka.
Trivedi will succeed Pranay Verma, who is set to take up a new assignment in Brussels as India’s envoy to the European Union and Belgium.
Trivedi previously served as railway minister in the Government led by former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh while representing the All India Trinamool Congress, before joining the BJP in 2021.
Over his political career, he has been a member of both the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha, representing constituencies in West Bengal and later a Rajya Sabha seat from Gujarat.
Relations between New Delhi and Dhaka came under strain after former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina fled to India in August 2024 following weeks of widespread student-led protests against her Awami League Government.
Hasina had been in power for 16 years.
Since then, Bangladesh has repeatedly called on India to extradite Hasina after a tribunal in the country sentenced her to death on charges of crimes against humanity.
The International Crimes Tribunal found her guilty of ordering a deadly crackdown on anti-government protests.
India has so far not agreed to the extradition request.
The appointment comes at a crucial juncture in India-Bangladesh relations, as both nations work to rebuild engagement following a period of strain.
Bilateral ties had deteriorated during the interim administration led by Muhammad Yunus after the collapse of the Government headed by Sheikh Hasina in August 2024.
Relations have since seen renewed efforts at normalisation under the Government of Prime Minister Tarique Rahman, which took office earlier this year.
Trivedi brings extensive political and administrative experience to the role.
He served as Railway Minister from 2011 to 2012 and was Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare between 2009 and 2011 in the Cabinet of Manmohan Singh.
He was also a Member of Parliament in the Lok Sabha from 2009 to 2019, representing the Barrackpore constituency.
Academically, he holds an MBA from the University of Texas at Austin. Beyond politics, he is a trained pilot and previously operated an air cargo business.
Outgoing envoy Verma is credited with initiating efforts to revive bilateral engagement.
In recent weeks, both countries have intensified high-level interactions as part of this reset.
Bangladesh’s Foreign Minister Khalilur Rahman recently visited New Delhi, where he held talks with India’s National Security Advisor Ajit Doval and External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar.
Discussions focused on enhancing cooperation in key sectors such as trade, energy, and people-to-people exchanges.
