India on Wednesday closed the Indian Visa Application Centre (IVAC) in Dhaka amid growing security concerns following threats by extremist elements and provocative remarks by Bangladeshi leaders.
The Indian Visa Application Centre located at Jamuna Future Park in Dhaka, the capital’s main integrated centre for Indian visa services, shut operations at 2 pm citing the prevailing security situation. In a statement, the IVAC said all applicants who had appointments scheduled for Wednesday would be rescheduled for a later date.
Earlier in the day, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) in New Delhi summoned Bangladesh’s High Commissioner to India, M Riaz Hamidullah, and conveyed India’s strong concern over the deteriorating security environment in Bangladesh. The MEA said the envoy’s attention was drawn to the activities of certain extremist elements who had announced plans to create a security situation 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 said, adding that India had expressed serious concern over security threats to the Indian High Commission.
The MEA also said India rejects what it described as a false narrative being spread by extremist elements regarding certain recent events in Bangladesh. It said the interim government had neither conducted a thorough investigation nor shared meaningful evidence with India on the incidents, without elaborating further.
The summoning of the Bangladeshi envoy came a day after a Bangladeshi political leader issued a provocative threat against India. On Monday, National Citizen Party (NCP) leader Hasnat Abdullah warned that if Bangladesh was destabilised, his country would seek to isolate India’s northeastern states, known as the Seven Sisters, and provide refuge to separatists. “If Bangladesh is destabilised, the fire of resistance will spread beyond borders,” Abdullah said at a rally.
Separately, Bangladesh has summoned the Indian High Commissioner in Dhaka, seeking cooperation in an ongoing case and again demanding the expeditious extradition of former prime minister Sheikh Hasina. Last month, Hasina was sentenced to death for crimes against humanity in connection with unrest last year that reportedly left over 500 people dead.
