Kolkata Bangladesh Mission Faces Controversy After Press Secretary Raises Allegations Against Acting Deputy High Commissioner

Agartala, Mar 09, 2026 : A controversy has emerged surrounding the Bangladesh Deputy High Commission in Kolkata after Tarique Choyon, Press Secretary of the Bangladesh Deputy High Commission in Kolkata, publicly raised serious allegations against Acting Deputy High Commissioner and Head of Mission Sikder Mohammad Ashrafur Rahman.

In a detailed post on his Facebook page, Tarique Choyon questioned the neutrality and conduct of the diplomat, alleging that his actions contradict his public claim that diplomats serve whichever government is in power.

According to Choyon, Rahman often says, “We are government officials, whichever government comes to power, we serve that government.” However, Choyon alleged that the mission chief’s activities do not reflect this principle and instead show bias against the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP).

Explaining the issue, Choyon said Bangladesh currently has six diplomatic missions in India, the High Commission in New Delhi, Deputy High Commissions in Kolkata, Mumbai and Chennai, and Assistant High Commissions in Agartala and Guwahati.

After the interim government assumed office, these missions reportedly opened new Facebook pages to communicate official updates and activities.

Tarique Choyon pointed out that after the 12 February election, in which BNP formed the government under the leadership of Prime Minister Tarique Rahman, all Bangladeshi missions in India posted updates regarding the election results and the oath-taking ceremony of the new government.

These pages also highlighted the visit of Indian Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, who traveled to Bangladesh to represent India at the swearing-in ceremony of the new government.

However, according to Choyon, the Bangladesh Deputy High Commission in Kolkata was the only mission that did not post anything about the election results, the formation of the new government, or the swearing-in ceremony of the prime minister.

He claimed that anyone visiting the mission’s Facebook page would get the impression that no election had taken place in Bangladesh.

Tarique Choyon further stated that after learning that social media pages of several missions abroad are handled by the Press Wing, he had earlier asked Ashraful Rahman about the issue. According to him, the acting deputy high commissioner said that the mission itself would manage the page under instructions from higher authorities.

When Choyon recently asked why no posts were being made about the election or the new government’s oath-taking ceremony, Rahman allegedly responded dismissively, saying, “Brother, are these things meant to be posted?”

At the same time, Choyon criticized what he described as an unusual priority on the page, a post featuring 28 personal photographs of the mission chief, which he said appeared inappropriate for an official diplomatic platform.

Tarique Choyon also alleged that before the election, Rahman had reassured mission staff that BNP would not come to power.

He further claimed that he had been warned and pressured at different times for publicly advocating the need for elections and for posting a photograph with a BNP leader who later became a minister in the new government.

In another incident, Choyon said that an Indian national award-winning actor once took a photograph holding a book edited by him titled “Obisangbadito Tarique Rahman.” He alleged that Rahman made offensive and inappropriate remarks about the actor in front of other officers of the mission.

In his statement, Tarique Choyon emphasized that he wrote the post without any personal motive. He said he did not obtain his position through lobbying and therefore does not fear losing it.

He added that his decision to speak out was guided by his conscience rather than official instructions.

Choyon also warned that deleting or editing posts on the mission’s Facebook page would not change the situation, claiming that all relevant records have been preserved.

As of now, no official response has been issued by Acting Deputy High Commissioner Sikder Mohammad Ashrafur Rahman or the Bangladesh Deputy High Commission in Kolkata regarding the allegations.

The issue has sparked discussion within diplomatic and expatriate circles, particularly regarding the importance of political neutrality and transparency in diplomatic missions abroad.