The deceased, identified as Naren Dhar, was discovered in a room inside the visa centre building; Bangladesh authorities say no visible injury marks were found on the body.
BY PC Bureau
New Delhi – May 19, 2026 – A 38-year-old Indian protocol officer identified as Naren Dhar (also referred to as Narendra or Narender) was found dead inside the premises of India’s Assistant High Commission in Chattogram early Tuesday morning, triggering an investigation by local authorities. The body was recovered from the mission complex on Zakir Hossain Road in the Khulshi area of the port city. According to police, Dhar was discovered lying in front of the bathroom door of a data entry room on the second floor of the old visa centre building within the compound.
Mission staff became concerned after repeated attempts to contact Dhar went unanswered. They alerted the Chattogram Metropolitan Police (CMP), who entered the premises and recovered the body around 9:30 am, officials said. Chattogram Metropolitan Police Assistant Commissioner for Public Relations Aminur Rashid told reporters that no visible injury marks were found on the body. Police are primarily suspecting a cardiac arrest or other natural causes, though the exact reason behind the death will only be confirmed after a post-mortem examination.
“Dhar was working as a protocol officer at the Indian Assistant High Commission. Upon receiving the news, police went to the scene and recovered his body at around 9:30 am, after which it was sent to the CMC Hospital morgue for autopsy,” Rashid stated. An unnatural death case is being registered as a matter of procedure. The body has been transferred to the Chattogram Medical College Hospital (CMC Hospital) morgue for autopsy. Once post-mortem formalities are completed, it will be handed over to the Indian mission authorities for repatriation. The Indian Assistant High Commission has informed Dhar’s family and is coordinating with them, according to reports.
Authorities have not indicated any suspicion of foul play at this stage. Investigators are examining the circumstances leading up to the discovery, including CCTV footage from the premises and statements from mission staff, but early indications point toward a medical emergency that occurred overnight.
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Dhar, who hailed from Chandigarh, had been serving as an assistant/protocol officer at the Indian Assistant High Commission in Chattogram. The mission handles consular, visa, and trade-related services in Bangladesh’s second-largest city.
The incident has caused concern within diplomatic circles in both India and Bangladesh, though officials from both sides have described it as an internal matter pending the autopsy report. No official statement has yet been issued by India’s Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) or the High Commission in Dhaka.
This is the latest in a series of sensitive incidents involving Indian diplomatic presence in Bangladesh amid ongoing regional tensions, though police have stressed that the death does not appear linked to any security breach or external threat.
The probe is ongoing, and further details are expected once the post-mortem report is received.
