The Bangladesh High Commission in New Delhi has halted visa operations indefinitely after a small protest took place near the mission, according to officials aware of the development. The move comes at a time of renewed tension between India and Bangladesh.
A similar decision was taken by Bangladesh’s assistant high commission in Tripura after members of the Tipra Motha Party and other groups staged a demonstration outside the office. Visa services run by a private agency on Bangladesh’s behalf in Siliguri were also stopped following an incident of vandalism. Officials said these details on condition of anonymity.
Official notices issued in New Delhi and Agartala stated that all consular and visa related services have been suspended until further notice due to unavoidable circumstances. Staff at the Agartala mission remain stationed at the premises.
Bangladesh has been witnessing widespread unrest in recent days, with protests increasingly taking on an anti India tone after the death of student leader Sharif Osman Hadi. A known critic of India, Hadi died in Singapore while undergoing treatment after being shot in Dhaka.
Last week, a large crowd attempted to storm India’s assistant high commission in Chittagong, prompting police to use tear gas and batons to disperse the protesters. Following the incident, Indian visa services in the city were suspended. Demonstrations were also reported near Indian missions in Dhaka, Khulna and Rajshahi.
For several days, some Bangladeshi student leaders and political figures alleged that those responsible for Hadi’s killing had fled to India and demanded their extradition. However, Bangladesh Police later said the attackers’ whereabouts remain unknown.
India dismissed reports of a security breach at the Bangladesh High Commission in New Delhi as misleading and voiced concern over the killing of Dipu Chandra Das, a Hindu man who was lynched during the protests after being accused of blasphemy. The external affairs ministry said a small group of protesters had gathered outside the mission to condemn the killing before being dispersed by police.
Bangladesh’s acting foreign minister Touhid Hossain disputed India’s account, calling it a serious security lapse. Bangladesh’s foreign ministry also rejected claims that the lynching of Das amounted to an attack on minorities.
Relations between India and Bangladesh have deteriorated sharply since the fall of the Sheikh Hasina government following student led protests and the formation of a caretaker administration under Muhammad Yunus. The unrest linked to Hadi’s death has further deepened the strain between the two countries.
