A confidential meeting between India’s National Security Adviser Ajit Doval and his Bangladeshi counterpart Khalilur Rahman on November 19 has drawn significant attention, taking place a day before the official Colombo Security Conclave began in New Delhi.
Although Rahman’s visit was formally linked to the conclave—which unfolded on November 20 at Hyderabad House—Bangladesh’s own paperwork had described a two-day engagement, prompting questions about the purpose of his additional day in the Indian capital.
According to sources in the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), Rahman’s November 19 schedule was dedicated to behind-closed-doors meetings with Doval and senior Indian security officials.
The discussions are believed to have revolved around India’s mounting concerns over developments inside Bangladesh, including the premature release of convicted terrorists, the reported presence of extremist hideouts along the northern stretches of the India–Bangladesh border, and a growing tilt towards Islamist influence in Bangladesh’s political and social landscape. Officials on the Indian side are understood to have pressed for clarity and cooperation on issues they consider increasingly urgent.
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The timing of the meeting is notable, coming shortly after an Indian Military Intelligence team completed a visit to Bangladesh between October 14 and 17. That delegation, led by a major general, held discussions with key Bangladeshi military and intelligence units and even accompanied Bangladesh Army chief General Waker-uz-Zaman on an aerial survey of sensitive border districts such as Lalmonirhat, Nilphamari, Thakurgaon and Saidpur.
However, the MI team’s visit also raised eyebrows when commanding officers of the Bangladesh Army’s 10th Infantry Division chose not to meet the Indian delegation during their stop at divisional headquarters.
During this visit, the Indian team reportedly handed over a detailed dossier outlining individuals and networks that New Delhi considers linked to extremist activity. The existence of that dossier adds further context to the urgency surrounding the Doval–Khalilur interaction in Delhi.
When the Colombo Security Conclave convened on November 20, Rahman participated publicly alongside Doval and other regional officials, delivering remarks that emphasised Bangladesh’s sovereignty. But it was the unpublicised discussions of the previous day—away from cameras and official statements—that now appear to carry greater strategic weight, underscoring a phase of intensified intelligence exchange and security coordination between India and Bangladesh at a moment of heightened regional concern.
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