Pranay Kumar Verma

Pranay Kumar Verma is the High Commissioner of India to Bangladesh. He is the former Ambassador of India to Vietnam.

Early life

Verma did his bachelor's degree in Mechanical engineering. He briefly worked at Tata Steel. He did his master's degree at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey in Chinese language.

Career

Verma joined the Indian Foreign Service in 1994.
On 25 July 2019, Verma was appointed the Ambassador of India to Vietnam. He was the previous Director General of the East Asia Division at the Ministry of External Affairs.
Verma was appointed High Commissioner of India to Bangladesh on 29 July 2022. He replaced Vikram Doraiswami. He presented his credentials to President Mohammad Abdul Hamid on 28 October 2022.

Controversy

In December 2025, Bangladeshi investigative outlet published a report examining the conduct of Indian High Commissioner to Bangladesh, Pranay Kumar Verma, during Bangladesh’s July–August 2024 political unrest. The report alleged that Verma maintained telephone contact and held meetings with senior Awami League leaders, including individuals later convicted by Bangladesh’s International Crimes Tribunal for crimes against humanity, at a time when security forces were accused by the United Nations of using lethal force against civilians. It further noted that Verma publicly welcomed what he described as a “gradual restoration of normalcy” while large-scale violence was ongoing. The publication argued that such engagement raised questions about diplomatic neutrality and responsibility, and suggested that Bangladesh had grounds under the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations to declare him persona non grata. The report did not allege criminal liability and acknowledged that Verma did not respond to requests for comment at the time of publication.