Bangladesh: India Suspends Visa Services After Violent Attack Near Its Chittagong Mission | India News

Following the recent incident of violence at the Deputy High Commission of India in Chittagong, Bangladesh, Indian visa processing at the Indian Visa Application Center (IVAC) in the port city will be suspended from Sunday until further notice, officials said.

They added that any announcement regarding the resumption of visa services will be made only after reviewing the current security situation.

The decision comes after violence broke out outside the Deputy High Commissioner of India on Friday, in which at least four people, including two police personnel, were injured.

According to local media reports, the unrest broke out following the death of Sharif Osman Hadi, spokesman for the radical group Inqilab Mancha.

Protesters gathered outside the office of the Indian mission in Chittagong’s Khulshi district and began hurling bricks and vandalizing parts of the building in the early hours of Friday, police said.

Chittagong Metropolitan Police (CMP) Commissioner Hasib Aziz said police intervention led to a chase and counter-chase between law enforcement officials and protesters. It was stated that those injured in the clashes were taken to Chittagong Medical College Hospital and received treatment.

Aziz also said that police detained several people at the scene and that they would likely be investigated under the Anti-Terrorism Act, according to the Bangladesh-based Dhaka Tribune newspaper.

Earlier on Wednesday, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) summoned Bangladesh High Commissioner Riaz Hamidullah to India to convey New Delhi’s strong concerns over the deteriorating security environment in Bangladesh.

The MEA said the Bangladeshi envoy’s attention was drawn to the activities of some extremist elements who had announced plans to create a security situation, especially around the Indian mission in Dhaka.

India has firmly rejected what it describes as a false narrative put forward by extremist elements regarding some recent developments in Bangladesh.

The MEA also expressed concern that the interim government led by Muhammad Younis had neither conducted a thorough investigation nor shared any meaningful evidence with India into the incidents.

New Delhi has called on the Younis-led interim administration to ensure the safety and security of Indian missions and posts in Bangladesh in line with its diplomatic responsibilities.

Meanwhile, in a separate incident that took place in Chittagong amid protests over Hadi’s death, demonstrators set fire to the house of former Awami League Education Minister Mohibul Hasan Chowdhury Naufel.

The incident took place in the Chashmahill area of ​​the city on Thursday night; Angry protesters also set fire to a motorcycle inside the house belonging to former Chittagong mayor Mohiuddin Chowdhury.

Confirming the incident, Panchlaish Police Station Officer-in-Charge Md Solaiman said that around 200 protesters gathered in Soloshahar and Chittagong’s Gate No. 2 areas to demonstrate over Hadi’s death.

Bangladesh witnessed a sharp increase in violence and deterioration of law and order during the interim government led by Muhammad Younis.