Bangladesh High Commission in Delhi temporarily suspends visa and consular services

The Bangladesh High Commission in New Delhi has temporarily suspended all visa and consular services, citing unavoidable circumstances. A notice displayed outside the mission states that all such services will remain halted until further notice.

As per an ANI post, it says, Delhi: A notice has been put up outside the Bangladesh High Commission. The notice reads, "Due to unavoidable circumstances, all consular & visa services from the Bangladesh High Commission in New Delhi are temporarily suspended until further notice."

The move comes days after India temporarily shut its visa application centre in Chattogram until further notice, which was following a protest by scores of demonstrators outside the Assistant High Commission of India in the port city, the neighbouring country’s second-largest.Earlier this week, India suspended visa services in several other Bangladeshi cities too due to security concerns.The developments are unfolding against the backdrop of heightened diplomatic tensions and growing unrest in Bangladesh after the death of youth leader Sharif Osman Hadi, who succumbed to gunshot injuries following an assassination attempt earlier this month. His death sparked widespread protests across the country, some of which reportedly took on an anti-India tone, further straining the security and diplomatic environment.

Meanwhile, India’s Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) rejected reports in Bangladeshi media describing the protest outside the Bangladesh mission in New Delhi as an attempt to create a security situation. The MEA said that around 20–25 youths gathered outside the High Commission on Saturday to protest the killing of Dipu Chandra Das in Bangladesh’s Mymensingh district and to demand protection for minorities.According to the MEA, there was no attempt to breach the premises or its security. Police dispersed the group within minutes, and visual evidence of the incident is publicly available. New Delhi also urged the interim government in Dhaka to ensure that those responsible for the killing of Das are brought to justice, describing the incident as a ‘barbaric’ act.