- Bangladesh and India face strained diplomatic relations since Hasina’s ouster.
- Hossain heads 3 missions in India to close their visa sections.
- Bangladesh MP HC in Kolkata restricts visa services.
Bangladesh’s interim government has ordered its main diplomatic missions in India, including the High Commission in New Delhi, to suspend visa services citing security concerns, a move that underlines the continued tension in Dhaka’s relations with New Delhi.
Foreign Affairs Adviser M. Touhid Hossain said at a news conference in his office on Thursday that he had ordered Bangladesh’s three missions in India to temporarily close their visa sections. The star newspaper reported on Friday.
“What I have done is that I have asked our three missions [in India] keep their visa sections closed for the time being. “It is a security issue,” Hossain said.
The remarks came after Bangladesh’s Deputy High Commissioner in Kolkata overnight restricted visa services, following similar measures taken earlier by missions in New Delhi and Agartala. However, business and work visas remained outside the scope of the restriction.
Bangladesh also maintains diplomatic missions in Mumbai and Chennai, where visa services continued to operate.
India had previously imposed visa restrictions for Bangladeshi citizens after August 5, 2024, citing security concerns.
Ties between Dhaka and New Delhi have remained strained since then-Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s Awami League government was toppled following violent student-led street protests in July and August 2024.
It may be noted that ties between Dhaka and Delhi were further strained after the former refused to send its national cricket team to India for the upcoming T20 World Cup 2026, citing “security concerns”.
The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) requested the International Cricket Council (ICC) to move Bangladesh matches out of India.
In its detailed letter to the ICC, the Bangladesh board also noted that the fears were not limited to the players, but the provision of visas to media officials, fans and other stakeholders is also part of the concerns. The BCB also cited the government’s stance on the issue.
The venues became controversial after fast bowler Mustafizur Rahman was dropped from the Indian Premier League (IPL) team amid deteriorating diplomatic relations between the two countries, although no official reason was given.
Following the incident, the Bangladesh government banned the broadcast of the IPL in the country and the BCB formally wrote to the ICC stating that it would not play its T20 World Cup matches in India.
