Bangladesh halts visa, consular services at Delhi mission
Bangladesh has temporarily suspended all visa issuance and consular services at its High Commission in New Delhi until further notice, citing security concerns following protests by extremist groups outside the mission.
Several senior officials of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed the decision to Jago News on Monday.
The suspension was announced in a notice issued by the Bangladesh High Commission on Monday, December 22, which was displayed at the mission premises. The notice expressed regret for any inconvenience caused to service seekers.
The move comes after a group of 20 to 25 members of an extremist organisation, identifying themselves as “Akhand Hindu Rashtra Sena,” staged a protest outside the Bangladesh High Commission in Delhi late Saturday night.
The protesters reportedly remained at the site for around 20 minutes, chanted anti-Bangladesh slogans and issued threats against Bangladesh’s High Commissioner to India, M Riaz Hamidullah.
Responding to questions from journalists at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Adviser Md Touhid Hossain on Sunday said the Bangladesh mission is located in a highly secured diplomatic zone.
“How were Hindu extremists allowed to enter such a secure area? This is unfortunate,” he said.
Touhid Hossain also said that following the incident, the High Commissioner’s family in Delhi now feels unsafe and under threat.
Protests were reported outside the High Commission on both Saturday and Sunday, during which demonstrators also allegedly called on Bangladeshis to leave India.
In a related incident, a Bangladesh visa centre in Siliguri was attacked and vandalised on Sunday, further heightening security concerns surrounding Bangladeshi diplomatic and consular facilities in India.
The High Commission said all consular operations, including visa services, will remain suspended until further notice to avoid any untoward situation.
A group of Hindu organisations carrying saffron flags staged a protest outside the Bangladesh Deputy High Commission in Kolkata on Monday afternoon, December 22. The protest was led by West Bengal Leader of the Opposition Shuvendu Adhikari of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), along with leaders and activists from various Hindu organisations.