Samar Sen (diplomat)

Samar Sen
1st and 8th Permanent Representative of India to the United Nations
In office
January 1969 – June 1974[1]
Preceded byGopalaswami Parthasarathy
Succeeded byRikhi Jaipal
In office
1946–1948 [2]
Preceded byPosition established
Succeeded byB. N. Rau
2nd High Commissioner of India to Bangladesh
In office
June 1974 – November 1976[3]
Preceded bySubimal Dutt
Succeeded byK. P. S. Menon
President of the United Nations Security Council
In office
1972–1973[4]
Preceded byJeanne Martin Cissé
Succeeded byChaidir Anwar Sani
Chairperson of the Group of 77
In office
1970–1971[5]
7th High Commissioner of India to Pakistan
In office
1968–1969[6]
Preceded byKewal Singh Choudhary
Succeeded byB. K. Acharya
7th High Commissioner of India to Australia
In office
1960–1963[7]
Personal details
Born(1914-08-10)10 August 1914
Dacca, Bengal Presidency, British India (now Dhaka, Bangladesh)
Died16 February 2003(2003-02-16) (aged 88)
London, United Kingdom[8]
SpouseSheila Lall[9]
ChildrenJupiter Sen, Julius Sen, Ariana Grimes, Sevaly Sen
Alma materUniversity of Oxford

Samar Sen (10 August 1914 – 16 February 2003) was an Indian diplomat who served as the 1st permanent representative of India to the United Nations, Geneva, 8th in New York and the 2nd high commissioner of India to Bangladesh from June 1974 to November 1976.[10]

Born in Dacca, British India (in modern-day Dhaka, Bangladesh),[11] Sen obtained his education from the University of Calcutta, the University of London, Oxford, and Lincoln's Inn. He was a civil services officer who served as a president of the United Nations Security Council from 1972 to 73.[12]

Career

Sen served in the government of India at various posts, including under secretary, and deputy secretary. From 1946 to 48, he represented India at the United Nations as a liaison officer. He also served as chairperson of the International Commission of Control and Supervision besides serving as ambassador to Algeria and Lebanon, and high commissioner to Australia, New Zealand, and Pakistan. In the Government of India, he also served as joint secretary in the Ministry of External Affairs from 1957 to 1959.

During his foreign services, he served as president of the United Nations Administrative Tribunal and chairperson of the G77.[5]

Assassination attempt

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[13] and announced against the formation of a confederation with Pakistan.[14]

However, this led to Sen being the target of an assassination attempt on 26 November 1975.[15] The attackers had posed as his visitors in civilian clothes.[16] 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.[17] 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.[11]

References

  1. ^ Welcome to Permanent Mission of India to the UN, New York 2015.
  2. ^ Welcome to Permanent Mission of India in Geneva.
  3. ^ Welcome to High Commission of India, Bangladesh.
  4. ^ un.org 2012.
  5. ^ a b "Ambassador Samar Sen (India)". The Group of 77. Retrieved 2 December 2021.
  6. ^ Welcome to High Commission of India, Islamabad, Pakistan 2020.
  7. ^ hcicanberra.gov.in.
  8. ^ "Samar Sen dead". The Telegraph. Kolkata. 17 February 2003. Retrieved 2 December 2021.
  9. ^ Alikhan 2017.
  10. ^ "World". The Tribune, Chandigarh, India. 18 February 2003. Retrieved 2 December 2021.
  11. ^ a b "India's Top Aide in Dacca Wounded in Ambush by 6". The New York Times. 27 November 1975. Retrieved 2 December 2021.
  12. ^ "India secures win in UN Security Council elections". The Week. 18 June 2020. Retrieved 2 December 2021.
  13. ^ Islam, Sayedul (14 August 2023). "সপরিবারে শেখ মুজিব হত্যাকাণ্ডের পরের দুই সপ্তাহে যা ঘটেছিল". BBC (in Bengali). Archived from the original on 14 August 2023.
  14. ^ Khan, Abed (2 October 2019). "মোশতাকের মীরজাফরি চাল". Daily Jagaran (in Bengali). Archived from the original on 5 October 2019.
  15. ^ https://www.nytimes.com/1975/11/27/archives/indias-top-aide-in-dacca-wounded-in-ambush-by-6.html
  16. ^ https://dailyasianage.com/news/297509/why-jsd-wanted-to-take-samar-sen-hostage-in-november-1975
  17. ^ "An envoy remembers". Frontline. 21 November 1998. Retrieved 2 December 2021.

Further reading

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