Bangladesh high commissioner in Canada assaulted

Online desk: The High Commissioner of Bangladesh in Canada, Khalilur Rahman, has come under an attack launched by a former foreign ministry employee now staying in Ottawa with his family without reporting back to Dhaka on his transfer.

Following the incident on July 17, the High Commission filed a case with the local police in Ottawa against accused Yusuf Harun, who was sacked from service for overstaying without permission in 2019, officials at the Bangladesh mission confirmed.

Yusuf, who worked as an office assistant in the mission from 2011 to 2015, allegedly assaulted the High Commissioner during a picnic party of the Bangladeshi community at a park in Ottawa.

He claimed that he was not getting his passport from the High Commission and could not travel anywhere outside Canada, according to witnesses and officials.

Asked for comment, High Commissioner Khalilur Rahman said, ‘From the official documents, I came to know that a person named Yusuf Harun worked at the high commission from 2011 to 2015 and the foreign ministry transferred him to Dhaka from Ottawa.

‘All of his allowances amounting to $32,410 and air ticket were handed over to him and he was asked to report to Dhaka. But he did not return to Bangladesh violating service rules,’ he said.

Yusuf claimed that it was a scuffle between him and the High Commissioner during the picnic party. ‘The High Commissioner has made me suffer. I am not getting my passport renewal for which I applied in 2019,’ Yusuf said.

Yusuf admitted that he overstayed without the government’s approval. ‘I overstayed but the government raised no objection against issuing my passport,’ Yusuf claimed, identifying himself as a former consular officer at the Bangladesh mission in Ottawa.

He said that police had visited him after the incident and later informed him that they framed charges against him for assaulting the High Commissioner and sent the case to the court.

About the allegation of not providing a passport to Yusuf, Khalilur said that Yusuf applied for the passport in 2019. But the foreign ministry was yet to give its approval for the issuance of the passport,’

The picnic party was organised by the Bangladesh-Canada Association of Ottawa Valley and the High Commissioner was invited there as chief guest, said officials.