Bangladesh has temporarily suspended visa and consular services at its missions in Agartala and Siliguri in India, in addition to its High Commission in New Delhi, following security concerns, officials have said.
A senior official at Bangladesh’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Monday night that visa and consular services had been halted at the Assistant High Commission in Agartala, Tripura, and at the visa Centre in Siliguri.
The official stated, "We have posted notices at the respective missions informing applicants of the temporary suspension."
Diplomatic sources said members of several Hindu nationalist organisations vandalised the Bangladesh Visa Centre in Siliguri on Monday. The groups reportedly included the Vishwa Hindu Parishad, Hindu Jagaran Manch and a local Siliguri metropolitan organisation.
Protesters later forced the closure of the visa centre and warned that it should not be reopened. The sources said that the vandalism was a protest against alleged attacks on the Hindu community in Bangladesh.
Bangladesh had earlier suspended visa services at its High Commission in New Delhi due to security concerns.
On Saturday night, a group of around 20–25 protesters from an extremist organisation staged a demonstration outside the Bangladesh High Commission in New Delhi, chanting slogans against Bangladesh and allegedly issuing threats against the Bangladeshi High Commissioner.
Following the incident, Bangladesh’s foreign affairs adviser said the High Commissioner’s family in New Delhi was feeling unsafe and facing security risks.
Separately, several Hindu nationalist groups led protests outside the Bangladesh Deputy High Commission in Kolkata. West Bengal opposition leader and BJP figure Suvendu Adhikari led the demonstration on Monday.
Later in the day, hundreds of protesters marched towards the Deputy High Commission from the Boubazar area but were stopped by Kolkata police about 200 metres from the mission.
Authorities in both countries have not yet issued detailed statements on the incidents. Security at Bangladeshi diplomatic missions in India has since been tightened.
