Bangladesh summons Indian envoy over mission security

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Bangladesh has once again summoned India’s High Commissioner to Dhaka, Pranay Verma. He was asked to appear at the ministry on Tuesday (23 December) at 10:00 am. According to diplomatic sources, Bangladesh’s Foreign Secretary, Asad Alam Siam, called in High Commissioner Verma.

Verma arrived at the ministry at 9:40 am and met with Foreign Secretary Siam in his office, leaving in under five minutes. During the meeting, Bangladesh emphasised the importance of ensuring the security of its missions in India.

The summons comes amid rising security concerns surrounding Bangladeshi missions in various Indian cities, including New Delhi and Kolkata. In recent days, protests have taken place in front of Bangladeshi diplomatic missions in New Delhi, Kolkata, Agartala, and Siliguri, with some demonstrators directly disrupting visa services.

In response, the Bangladesh High Commission in New Delhi temporarily suspended consular and visa services until further notice, according to a notice posted at the mission’s gate. Similarly, visa services have been halted at the Bangladesh Assistant High Commission in Agartala and the Bangladesh Visa Center in Siliguri.

Diplomatic sources said the suspensions are a precautionary measure in light of recent protests, attacks on visa centres, and growing security risks. Earlier, the presence of protesters outside the Bangladesh High Commission in Delhi’s diplomatic enclave triggered an exchange of statements between the two countries. While Indian authorities described media reports of the incident as misleading, Bangladesh rejected that characterisation.