New Delhi: The Foreign Correspondents’ Club (FCC) of South Asia announced Saturday that its event, ‘Europe and Asia: From Dialogue to a Partnership’, had to be cancelled after the Delhi Police denied permission.
The Saturday event, as per the invitation shared by FCC, was a “seminar-cum-press conference” organised in collaboration with the Belgium-based Hand in Hand Foundation. It was to feature an Awami League member and a Rohingya rights activist among others.
The 10-member panel consisted of Czech politician Ondrej Dostal, German diplomat Peter Fahrenholtz, Bangladeshi American scientist Nuran Nabi, Bangladeshi legal scholar Salim Mahmud, Nepalese child rights activist Sundar Ghimire, Rohingya rights activist Rabi Alam, FCC-IAPC chairman Venkat Narayan, former diplomat Veena Sikri, United Diplomatic Council president Asif Iqbal, and H&H general secretary Golam Zilani.
“On Friday evening as per our routine practice, a member of FCC management team went to Tilak Marg police station to seek permission for the event and ask for security arrangements,” an FCC member told ThePrint.
Subsequently, the FCC management team shared the details of the event with the officer at the police station. “We were then informed that the Delhi Police categorically denied giving permission for the event.”
Following this, the FCC issued a notice informing its members that the event stands cancelled as the Delhi Police denied permission.
“Delhi Police has stopped the FCC from holding the programme on Europe and Asia scheduled for this evening (29 August, 2026). You will appreciate that this sudden development is beyond our control,” the FCC manager wrote in a statement issued to its members.
Delhi Police has stopped the FCC from holding the programme on Europe and Asia scheduled for this evening (August 29, 2026)
You will appreciate that this sudden development is beyond our control.
We sincerely regret any inconvenience caused and appreciate your understanding.
— FCC South Asia (@FCCNewDelhi) August 29, 2026
FCC president Waiel Awwad told The Print that the event was about partnership and development. “It was an intellectual discussion. I am not sure why the Delhi Police denied permission,” he said.
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.
While the Delhi Police denied allegations of their intervention, in a document accessed by ThePrint, the police stated that “no permission” is being granted for the event. “Return with the remarks that this programme is not allowed due to certain controversies as per information,” the document read, with a stamp of the Tilak Marg Police station.
In the document, the FCC assistant manager sought “deputation for security arrangements”. “This is to inform you that we have an event of a seminar-cum-press conference the FCC is hosting in collaboration with Belgium-based Hand in Hand Foundation at FCC on 29 Saturday, 2026 from 6 pm to 8pm. To avoid any untoward incident, we request you to depute adequate police personal for press conference, details of event attached,” the document read.
Meanwhile, a FCC source told ThePrint that the development comes after the press conference of former Bangladesh prime minister Sheikh Hasina at the club. In the 5 August press conference, Hasina had announced her return to Bangladesh in December.
“The Indian government received flak from its Bangladeshi counterpart on Hasina being given a platform in New Delhi. Considering the panel had a popular Awami League member and another intellectual working on Rohingya issues, the permission must have been denied,” the source said.
This is an updated version of the report.
(Edited by Tony Rai)
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