India halts  2 visa centres in Bangladesh over security concerns

India has temporarily shut down visa application centres in Khulna and Rajshahi in Bangladesh following anti-India protests, an official of the High Commission of India in Dhaka said on Thursday, according to news agency ANI. 

“There were protests in Khulna and Rajshahi today. Whenever the security situation turns bad, we are forced to shut down. We have shut down visa centres in Khulna and Rajshahi,” an official at the High Commission of India in Dhaka told ANI.

The official added that visa services in the capital remain operational. “We have resumed the visa application centre in Dhaka,” he said.

The shutdown comes amid protests organised by the anti-Indian hegemony platform ‘July 36 Mancha’, which held a march towards the Indian Assistant High Commission in Rajshahi.

On Thursday, at around 12:30 pm local time, the march began from Bhadra Mor in the city and moved towards the Indian Assistant High Commission office. However, the programme was disrupted midway due to police obstruction.

As announced earlier, police stopped the procession by erecting barricades around 100 metres before the Assistant High Commission office. The protesters then staged a sit-in in front of the barricades and demanded permission to move forward. Similar protests were also reported in Khulna.

Earlier on Wednesday, Bangladesh Police stopped a group of protesters from marching towards the Indian High Commission in Dhaka’s Gulshan area. The protesters were demanding the return of deposed prime minister Sheikh Hasina and others who fled during and after the July uprising last year, according to The Daily Star.

The protests have followed threats against Indian diplomats, prompting India to summon Bangladesh’s envoy.

The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said it expects Bangladesh’s interim government to ensure the safety of Indian Missions and Posts in the country in keeping with its diplomatic obligations.

The developments come amid heightened concerns in New Delhi about the security environment in Bangladesh.

The MEA had summoned Bangladesh’s High Commissioner to India, Riaz Hamidullah, and conveyed India’s strong concerns, particularly regarding the activities of extremist elements who have announced plans to create a security situation around the Indian Mission in Dhaka.

“India completely rejects the false narrative sought to be created by extremist elements regarding certain recent events in Bangladesh. It is unfortunate that the interim government has neither conducted a thorough investigation nor shared meaningful evidence with India regarding the incidents,” the MEA said.

“India has close and friendly relations with the people of Bangladesh rooted in the liberation struggle and strengthened through various developmental and people-to-people initiatives. We are in favour of peace and stability in Bangladesh and have consistently called for free, fair, inclusive and credible elections, conducted in a peaceful atmosphere,” it added.

(With ANI inputs )