Following the
assassination of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman on 15 August 1975, the new Bangladeshi President
Khondaker Mostaq Ahmad wanted to form
a confederation with Pakistan. On 18 August 1975, Samar Sen, then Indian High Commissioner to Bangladesh, was reported to read out to Mostaq Ahmad the contents of a slip of paper in his possession, which stated: "If the name of the People's Republic of Bangladesh is changed and a confederation is made
with any country, then under
the valid treaty, the
Indian Army will take appropriate action. But if you refrain from changing the name and the idea of a so-called confederation, India will consider whatever happens from 15 August onwards as Bangladesh’s internal matter." On hearing this, Mostaq Ahmad became dejected and announced against the formation of a confederation with Pakistan. However, this led to Sen being
the target of an assassination attempt on 26 November 1975. The attackers had posed as his visitors in civilian clothes. He received several injuries and suffered a broken shoulder bone, but the bullet was removed after a surgery in Dhaka hospital. During retaliation his security guards killed four of the six attackers. An
Indian Air Force plane was sent but he chose to remain in Dhaka and continued as India's High Commissioner there for the next year until he was appointed as
high commissioner to Pakistan. == References ==