India shut down the Indian Visa Application Centre (IVAC) in Dhaka on Wednesday due to mounting security concerns following threats from extremist groups and inflammatory statements by Bangladeshi leaders.
The Indian Visa Application Centre situated at Jamuna Future Park in Dhaka, the capital’s primary integrated facility for Indian visa services, ceased operations at 2 pm, citing the current security situation. In a statement, the IVAC announced that all applicants with appointments scheduled for Wednesday would be given new dates.
Earlier on Wednesday, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) in New Delhi summoned Bangladesh’s High Commissioner to India, M Riaz Hamidullah, and expressed India’s serious concern regarding the worsening security climate in Bangladesh. The MEA said the envoy was informed about activities of certain extremist groups who had declared intentions to create security problems around the Indian Mission in Dhaka.
“We expect the interim government to ensure the safety of Missions and Posts in Bangladesh in keeping with its diplomatic obligations,” the MEA stated, adding that India had conveyed grave concern over security threats to the Indian High Commission.
The MEA also said India dismisses what it characterized as a misleading narrative being propagated by extremist groups concerning certain recent developments in Bangladesh. It noted that the interim government had neither carried out a comprehensive investigation nor provided substantial evidence to India on the incidents, without providing further details.
The summoning of the Bangladeshi envoy followed a day after a Bangladeshi political leader issued an inflammatory threat against India. On Monday, National Citizen Party (NCP) leader Hasnat Abdullah warned that if Bangladesh faced destabilization, his country would attempt to isolate India’s northeastern states, referred to as the Seven Sisters, and offer sanctuary to separatists. “If Bangladesh is destabilised, the fire of resistance will spread beyond borders,” Abdullah declared at a rally.
Meanwhile, Bangladesh has summoned the Indian High Commissioner in Dhaka, requesting cooperation in an active case and once again calling for the swift extradition of former prime minister Sheikh Hasina. Last month, Hasina received a death sentence for crimes against humanity related to last year’s unrest that allegedly claimed over 500 lives.
With PTI inputs
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