Visa Centres in Bangladesh Amid Anti-India Protests, Summons Envoy Over Threats to Diplomatic Missions
On Thursday, the country anti-India protests repeated in Bangladesh. In Rajshahi, agitators marched to the Indian mission, compelling it to close operations for the day and two visa centres to suspend their services.
Aadrika Tayal 
New Delhi (India) December 18: The increase in anti-India protests in Bangladesh has led to security risks for Indian visa centres within Bangladesh. Due to these heightened risk assessments two of India's visa centres in Bangladesh were shut down in the cities of Khulna and Rajshahi for security reasons. The Visa Application Centre (VAC) in Dhaka had also experienced several security threats due to Anti-India protesters marching towards its facility; however, it reopened fully the following day.
MEA Summons Bangladesh Envoy on Safety Concerns
After the anti-Indian groups exaggerated the issues to terrorize the surroundings of the Indian High Commission in Dhaka, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) called the Bangladesh High Commissioner to India M Riaz Hamidullah. They conveyed their serious worry about such statements.
“We expect the interim government to ensure the safety of missions and posts in Bangladesh in keeping with its diplomatic obligations,” the MEA said.
Through this communication, the MEA reminded that it is the responsibility of the Bangladesh interim government to ensure the security and protection of all foreign diplomatic missions in Bangladesh in accordance with the rules and regulations of international law.
Visa Centres Reopen After 24-Hour Closure
On Wednesday, following the security threats and then closure of its visa application centres, India announced that those centres would resume normal operations on Thursday of the same week, after being closed for a period of about twenty-four hours prior.
As a precautionary measure against possible acts of violence, all activities at the Indian Visa Application Centres (IVACs) in Dhaka on Wednesday were temporarily suspended.
The disagreements between the nations as reflected in the diplomatic moves are exposing the deep decrease of their relations, which is a result of numerous factors e.g. the tragic incidents that followed the collapse of the Sheikh Hasina's administration amidst mass protests led by students in August 2024.
Bangladesh Leader's Inflammatory Statement
The speech by Hasnat Abdullah, a well-known figure of the National Citizen Party (NCP), who during a rally of Inqilab Mancha (a political party that supported the protests against the previous government), speculated that Bangladesh might be a refuge for separatist movements from India's northeastern states, was a significant factor in the escalation of the situation to diplomatic measures.
Asserting that India was deliberately causing violence and chaos in Bangladesh to worsen the diplomatic dispute, Abdullah, in fact, made the situation more complex by adding another layer to it.
Anti-India Rally Slogans and Accusations
Organized as "July Unity," the protests featured very strong anti-Indian slogans and demanded the return of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who is currently in India. The individuals protesting have accused Indian-backed political parties and media entities of conspiring against Bangladesh's sovereignty and interfering in its domestic business.
One of the contributing factors to the souring relations between the two countries has been Bangladesh's repeated requests to India to arrest and hand over the individuals who are purportedly responsible for the attempt of the assassination of Sharif Osman Hadi, a right-wing student leader, who was attacked earlier this month. The government of Bangladesh has charged India with neglecting the security concerns that it keeps raising.
