The Bangladesh High Commission in New Delhi said on Monday that all consular and visa services have been temporarily suspended until further notice.
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.”
In West Bengal's Siliguri, a visa centre was vandalised by protesters on Monday, as per a report by Bangladeshi media outlet Prothom Alo. For several years, company called 'DUDigital' was given the responsibility of operating the Bangladesh visa center in Siliguri, as per reports.
Bangladesh High Commission in Delhi's halting of visa services comes after India suspended visa operations at the Indian Visa Application Centre (IVAC) in Chittagong following a security incident.
India suspends visa ops in Bangladesh's Chittagong
The suspension took effect following a recent security incident at the Assistant High Commission of India (AHCI) in Chattogram. Authorities stated that the visa application centre will reopen only after a review of the security situation.
Temporary stalling of visa services by both Bangladesh and India comes days after the brutal lynching of a Hindu man in Mymensigh, which occurred amid the wave of protests over Sharif Osman Hadi's death. Hadi – a key figure in the 2024 uprisings last year – succumbed to his injuries in Singapore after he was shot.
What happened to the Hindu man?
Dipu Chandra Das – hailing from the Hindu community was employed as a worker at Pioneer Knit Composite Factory, a garment factory in the Square Masterbari area of Dhaka, as per reports.
On Friday, a mob beat Dipu to death. They then tied the man's lifeless body to a tree and set fire to it.
Initial reports mentioned that the 25-year-old was targeted over accusations of blasphemy. On Monday, fresh details emerged – pointing to workplace dispute as the likely trigger behind the barbaric incident.
What India said
India, on Sunday dismissed "misleading propaganda" in sections of the Bangladeshi media over a demonstration in front of the Bangladesh High Commission in New Delhi against the "horrendous killing" of the Hindu youth, and said the protest was brief and posed no security threat.
The government urged Bangladesh to bring perpetrators of the killing to justice. “India continues to keep a close watch on the evolving situation in Bangladesh. Our officials remain in touch with Bangladesh authorities and have conveyed to them our strong concerns at the attacks on minorities. We have also urged that the perpetrators of the barbaric killing of Das be brought to justice,” MEA said.
