Amid increasing tension between India and Bangladesh, Delhi-based Bangladesh High Commission suspended visa services indefinitely. Services were also halted in Agartala and Siliguri following incidents of protest and violence, while Dhaka denied the accused was in India.
New Delhi. Bangladesh High Commission has temporarily closed all its visa and consular services. On Monday, December 22, the Bangladesh High Commission in New Delhi suspended visa services indefinitely after a small group of protesters gathered near the mission, people familiar with the matter said, amid fresh tensions in bilateral relations. According to media reports, this ban will remain in effect till further orders.
People of Khand Hindu Rashtra Sena raised anti-Bangladesh slogans
According to reports, this step was taken towards the Bangladesh High Commission when some people of Akhand Hindu Rashtra Sena protested in front of the High Commission in Delhi on Saturday and raised anti-Bangladesh slogans. Let us tell you that this demonstration by Hindu Army was done in protest against the barbaric lynching of 27 year old Dipu Chandra Das in Bangladesh.
Bangladesh Consulate in Agartala bans visa service
Earlier, Bangladesh Consulate in Agartala has also banned visa service. The Assistant High Commission in Tripura, Bangladesh, on Sunday announced suspension of visa services following protests by Tipramotha Party and other groups outside the mission. Visa services provided by a private operator from Bangladesh in Siliguri, West Bengal were also suspended after the vandalism incident.
No evidence of the accused of Osman Hadi’s murder being in India
At the same time, the Home Ministry of Bangladesh has said that there is no concrete evidence that the accused in the murder of Inquilab Manch leader Usman Hadi has taken refuge in India. According to Home Ministry IG Rafiqul Islam, there is no information about the whereabouts of the main accused Faisal Karim Masood.
Violence erupted in Bangladesh after the death of Usman Hadi
Let us tell you that after the death of radical student leader Sharif Usman Hadi last week, there have been large-scale anti-India protests in Bangladesh. On 18 December, a large mob tried to attack the Assistant High Commission of India in Chittagong. After this, Indian visa services were suspended in Chittagong. Apart from this, protests were also held near Indian missions in Dhaka, Khulna and Rajshahi.
India-Bangladesh relations at critical juncture
India-Bangladesh relations are at an all-time low since the fall of the Sheikh Hasina government in Bangladesh amid student protests in August 2024 and the subsequent formation of an interim government led by Muhammad Yunus. The violence that broke out against Hindus after the death of Osman Hadi has further increased the tension in this relationship.