Bangladesh PM visit: In unusual move, Rashtrapati Bhavan recalls statement hour after issuing it

A new statement sent by the President's Office at around 3pm said, "Press release issued on the subject ‘No Change of Guard Ceremony this Saturday’, which was issued on August 21, 2026, stands withdrawn."

Written by: Divya A

2 min readNew DelhiUpdated: Aug 21, 2026 04:41 PM IST

The Rashtrapati Bhawan recalled an official statement on Bangladesh Prime Minister Tarique Rahman's upcoming visit to New Delhi, in less than an hour after publishing it. (Source: X/ @bdbnp78)

In an unusual move on Friday, Rashtrapati Bhavan recalled a statement that referred to Bangladesh Prime Minister Tarique Rahman’s visit to Delhi, which was believed to start a day later. The statement was recalled less than an hour after it was released.

The original statement – published at 2 pm – said there would be no change of guard on the day owing to rehearsals ahead of the Bangladesh leader’s ceremonial reception.

The statement – ‘No change of guard ceremony this Saturday’ – said: “The Change of Guard Ceremony at the Forecourt of Rashtrapati Bhavan will not take place this Saturday (August 22, 2026) due to the full rehearsal for the ceremonial welcome of the Prime Minister of Bangladesh.”

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However, Rahman’s visit – his first since being sworn in as his country’s leader – has not yet been formally announced, either by New Delhi or Dhaka, which likely prompted Rashtrapati Bhavan’s recall. A new statement – sent at around 3 pm simply said, “Press release issued on the subject ‘No Change of Guard Ceremony this Saturday’, which was issued on August 21, 2026, stands withdrawn.”

For visiting heads of state and other dignitaries on state visits to India, the President’s House hosts a ceremonial welcome as a grand military and diplomatic tradition. The ceremony takes place in the forecourt and features a formal tri-services Guard of Honour, national anthems, and introductions by the President of India and the Prime Minister. Later, the President also hosts a dinner reception for the visiting leader.

As part of the protocol, full dress rehearsals are conducted a day ahead of each ceremony.

Divya A

Divya A reports on travel, tourism, culture and social issues - not necessarily in that order - for The Indian Express. She's been a journalist for over a decade now, working with Khaleej Times and The Times of India, before settling down at Express. Besides writing/ editing news reports, she indulges her pen to write short stories. As Sanskriti Prabha Dutt Fellow for Excellence in Journalism, she is researching on the lives of the children of sex workers in India. ... Read More

This article went live on August twenty-first, twenty twenty-six, at forty-one minutes past three in the afternoon.

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