The Indian Visa Application Centre (IVAC) in Dhaka closed its operations on Wednesday afternoon after Indian missions in Bangladesh were issued fresh threats by Islamists. The Visa Application Centre at Jamuna Future Park in Dhaka, the primary hub for processing Indian visas in Bangladesh’s capital, announced that it would close at 2:00 PM on Wednesday, citing an “ongoing security situation.”
A notification issued on the centre’s website said, “In view of the ongoing security situation, we wish to bring to your kind notice that IVAC JFP Dhaka will be closed at 2pm today.” It added that applicants scheduled for visa submissions on December 17 will have their appointments rescheduled to a later date, with no further details provided on when normal operations might resume.
The closure of the IVAC comes amid heightened diplomatic tensions between India and Bangladesh. On the same day, India’s Ministry of External Affairs summoned Bangladesh’s High Commissioner to India, Riaz Hamidullah, to express serious concerns over the safety and security of Indian diplomatic missions in Dhaka. Reportedly, the Indian High Commission in Dhaka recently received a specific threat, prompting New Delhi to issue a formal demarche.
Islamist hardline groups have raised their protests against India over asylum provided to ousted PM Sheikh Hasina, and there are concerns of such protests turning violent. July Oikyo, a hardline group, is holding a program on Wednesday titled “March to Indian High Commission” to demand the return of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and former Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal.
Recent provocative statements by Hasnat Abdullah, leader of Bangladesh’s National Citizen Party, have also escalated concerns. Abdullah suggested that Dhaka could isolate India’s northeastern states and support separatist elements if India attempts to destabilize Bangladesh. Colonel Abdul Haque, a retired officer of the Bangladesh Army and a leader of Bangladesh Nationalist Party, also made similar remarks recently, arguing that Bangladesh would “never be safe” until India’s seven north-eastern states are separated and turned into seven independent nations.
These remarks, made earlier in the week, have been strongly condemned by Indian officials as “irresponsible and dangerous.”
