Dinesh Trivedi becomes first politician to serve as India's new High Commissioner to Bangladesh

India's new High Commissioner to Bangladesh Dinesh Trivedi arrived in the country on Friday through the Petrapole-Benapole land border to take up his diplomatic assignment.

Trivedi, who is the first politician to serve as India's envoy to Bangladesh, was seen walking into the country carrying his own trolley bag as the land border gate was opened. He was accompanied by his wife, Mrinal Trivedi.

"Nice to be here," Trivedi said after crossing the border.


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Senior Bangladeshi and Indian High Commission officials received him at the Benapole land border.



Trivedi, a former Union minister and leader of the Bharatiya Janata Party, succeeds Pranay Kumar Verma, a 1994-batch officer of the Indian Foreign Service.

Verma's four-year tenure, which ended last month, witnessed the ouster of Sheikh Hasina's government in a student-led uprising in August 2024 and a subsequent downturn in India-Bangladesh relations under the interim administration led by Muhammad Yunus.

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Elections were held in the country earlier this year, but Hasina's Awami League was barred from contesting. On February 17, Bangladesh Nationalist Party leader Tarique Rahman took oath as prime minister.

After his arrival on Friday, Trivedi briefly interacted with Bangladeshi reporters in the border area, where he said India and Bangladesh should work together in areas such as sports, health and technology for future generations by leveraging the talent and resources of both countries.

"One power alone will not suffice. The power generated when both countries come together is the real power. Let the entire world see that power," he said.