Sources confirmed that the Bangladeshi High Commission in New Delhi is not issuing visas to Indians over security concerns. This development came as Indian authorities in Bangladesh stopped visa processes after radical groups threatened to protest before the High Commission after the death of Sharif Osman Hadi, who was shot by an unidentified gunman on 12th December.
Following the incident, the situation between India and Bangladesh has become sensitive. Earlier, a group of men were seen shouting slogans before the Bangladesh High Commission in New Delhi. This event was also reported by the Bangladeshi media, after which the External Ministry clarified that the media was spreading “misleading propaganda”.
The External Ministry of Bangladesh has also responded to the incident and said that it was unjustified and unfair. Findings show that for the past 15 months, since the Sheikh Hasina Government was overthrown, visa services between the two countries have been significantly affected. But it is the first time that it has happened from the Bangladeshi High Commission in New Delhi.
For the first time, the visa issuance was suspended in July-August 2024 when the uprising against Sheikh Hasina was at its peak. Since then, visa services have been paused Several times, though India resumed the services in November when it started giving 2000 visas per day to the Bangladeshis.
The latest suspension is indefinite, as per reports. It was imposed after the mobs targeted Indian Visa Application centres in Khulna, Chittagong, and the Assistant High Commission in Rajshahi. The Assistant High Commission of Bangladesh in Agartala on Monday evening announced that all the visa and consular services will remain closed from Tuesday, due to “unavoidable circumstances”.
