On Friday, Rashtrapati Bhavan retracted a statement regarding Bangladesh Prime Minister Tarique Rahman’s anticipated visit to Delhi after only an hour.
In an unusual development on Friday, Rashtrapati Bhavan withdrew a statement referring to Bangladesh Prime Minister Tarique Rahman’s expected visit to Delhi, less than an hour after it was issued. The statement said the Change of Guard ceremony scheduled for Saturday would not be held due to rehearsals ahead of the Bangladesh leader’s ceremonial welcome.
The communique announcing the cancellation of Saturday’s Change of Guard ceremony to accommodate the full rehearsal of Bangladesh Prime Minister’s ceremonial welcome added a fresh layer of confusion to the status of the high-profile visit.
The move comes amid continuing diplomatic friction between New Delhi and Dhaka ahead of the BRICS Summit, scheduled for September 12-13. Ties between the two countries have remained strained, particularly over Bangladesh’s demand for the extradition of deposed Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.
Rashtrapati Bhavan Communique Withdrawn
Following the withdrawal of the previous statement, the Rashtrapati Bhavan issued a fresh communique saying, “Press release issued on the subject ‘No Change of Guard Ceremony this Saturday’, which was issued on August 21, 2026, stands withdrawn.”
The fresh communique came an hour after the President’s house had announced that it was cancelling the weekly ceremony for the full rehearsal of the welcome planned for the visiting Bangladesh Prime Minister.
“The Change of Guard Ceremony at the Forecourt of Rashtrapati Bhavan will not take place this Saturday (August 22, 2026) due to the full rehearsal for the ceremonial welcome of the Prime Minister of Bangladesh,” the withdrawn communique read.
