All Indian visa application centres in Bangladesh have been shut indefinitely amid unrest in the neighbouring country and massive protests that forced Sheikh Hasina to resign as Prime Minister and flee to India earlier this week.
The online portal to apply for the Indian visa now shows a message, “All IVACs will remain closed till further notice, due to unstable situation. Next application date will be informed through SMS & It is requested to pick up the passport on the next working day.”
This development comes a day after India evacuated 190 non-essential staff and their families from its High Commission and consulates in Bangladesh amid the volatile situation in the country. However, all diplomats remain in Bangladesh and the missions are functional. New Delhi has a high commission in Bangladesh’s capital Dhaka and consulates in Chittagong, Rajshahi, Khulna and Sylhet.
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Bangladesh unrest
In June, protests, led by students, began over a controversial job quota system that granted 30 per cent reservation for the families of veterans who fought in the Liberation War in 1971. Those protests, initially peaceful, turned violent after police cracked down on the protesters. More than 300 protestors have been killed so far.
The demonstrations then led to a massive movement against the 15-year rule of Sheikh Hasina, demanding the resignation of the 76-year-old leader.
Massive protests against the Sheikh Hasina-led Awami League government in Bangladesh led the PM to resign and flee to India. Despite Hasina’s resignation, unrest continues with hundreds of houses and businesses belonging to Hindus and temples being vandalised and looted.
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An interim government backed by the Bangladesh Army is in the process of being formed. Nobel Peace Prize winner and Grameen Bank founder Muhammad Yunus will lead the caretaker government.