An adviser to Bangladesh Prime Minister Tarique Rahman was stopped by immigration authorities at New Delhi airport because his name appeared on a security-related blacklist, prompting Dhaka to summon the Indian chargé d’affaires on Monday to register a protest.Zahed Ur Rahman has a long history of making anti-India statements, especially on his YouTube channel “Zahed’s Take”, which has been blocked in India (Facebook//zahed.urrahman.77)Zahed Ur Rahman, the adviser to the Bangladesh PM on policy and strategy, arrived at the Indira Gandhi International Airport on Sunday evening, leading his country’s delegation for a meeting of the committee of senior officials of the Indian Ocean Rim Association. He was stopped as his name was flagged during a security check.People familiar with the matter said Zahed Ur Rahman has a long history of making anti-India statements, especially on his YouTube channel “Zahed’s Take”, which has been blocked in India, and this was the reason his name was on the watchlist.“He was held by immigration for verification, given his previous statements on India,” one of the people said on condition of anonymity. “He was given a one-time exemption to enter India and cleared, by which time he had decided to return to Bangladesh by another flight.”The grant of a visa is a sovereign decision by a country and not a right, a second person pointed out. Zahed Ur Rahman, who was travelling on a regular passport and not a diplomatic passport, didn’t apply for an Indian visa and had obtained a SAARC visa from Bangladesh’s foreign ministry, and this too was not notified to the Indian side, the second person said.“If the Indian side had been notified, steps could have been taken to address his name being on the blacklist,” the second person said.The people said Zahed Ur Rahman has made controversial comments on a range of issues on his YouTube show in recent years, including the grant of transit facilities to India at Bangladesh’s Chittagong and Mongla ports and the use of a “Hindu card” strategy in Bangladesh.Bangladesh’s foreign ministry summoned India’s chargé d’affaires, Pawan Badhe and conveyed “deep disappointment” over the incident involving Zahed Ur Rahman, the state-run BSS news agency reported, citing an unnamed ministry official. Badhe is officiating as chargé d’affaires, as high commissioner-designate Dinesh Trivedi is yet to present his credentials.Bangladesh foreign minister Khalilur Rahman described the incident as “unexpected” and “unfortunate” and told reporters in Dhaka that the government is taking appropriate steps.Zahed Ur Rahman decided to return home via Colombo as there was no direct flight to Dhaka on Sunday night.The development comes at a time when India and Bangladesh are attempting to reset their relationship following the election of a new government led by Prime Minister Tarique Rahman, particularly to overcome the strains that characterised the relationship during the term of the interim administration led by Mohammad Yunus.