Delhi denies permission for FCC South Asia event featuring leader of activities banned-AL
The panel of speakers included Dr Selim Mahmud, Information and Research secretary of Awami League.
A seminar on Europe-Asia relations scheduled in New Delhi yesterday evening (29 August), featuring a leader of the activity-banned Awami League as one of the speakers, was cancelled after organisers said the Delhi Police denied permission for the programme at short notice.
The event, "Europe and Asia: From Dialogue to a Partnership," was organised by the Foreign Correspondents' Club of South Asia (FCC South Asia) in collaboration with the Belgium-based Hand in Hand Foundation and its partners.
The panel of speakers included Dr Selim Mahmud, Information and Research secretary of Awami League; Bangladeshi-American scientist and human-rights activist Dr Nuran Nabi; Rohingya rights activist and Rohingya United Youth Network President Rabi Alam; FCC–IAPC Global Forum Chairman Venkat Narayan; former Indian High Commissioner to Bangladesh Veena Sikri and United Diplomatic Council President Dr Asif Iqbal.
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The incident came weeks after an online press conference by former prime minister Sheikh Hasina was organized by FCC South Asia on 5 August when she announced her intention to return to Bangladesh in December.
Hasina's press conference has triggered a sharp response from the Bangladesh government as relations Dhaka asked New Delhi to create a "propitious' environment for reset in bilateral ties by extraditing Hasina who has been convicted and sentenced to death by ICJ in Bangladesh.
Nuran Nabi's work has documented Bangladesh's 1971 liberation war and genocide. Author of "Bullets of '71 -- A Freedom Fighter's Story," , Nuran Nabi has also addressed audiences at several US universities on the history and legacy of the 1971 conflict.
An FCC member said organisers approached Tilak Marg Police Station on Friday evening to seek permission and security arrangements.
"We were then informed that the Delhi Police categorically denied giving permission for the event"
The FCC described the intervention as "unexplained" and said the decision was beyond the organisers' control.
Deputy Commissioner of Police (New Delhi) Sachin Sharma denied allegations of any intervention. "The FCC does not require police permission to host panels. We have not had any intervention in their programmes," he said.
