The Bangladesh High Commission in Delhi temporarily suspended visa and consular services on Monday. A notice has been put up outside the Bangladesh High Commission which reads, "Due to unavoidable circumstances, all consular and visa services from the Bangladesh High Commission in New Delhi are temporarily suspended until further notice."
Officials from Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Bangladesh confirmed to Prothom Alo that all consular operations at the High Commission have been temporarily halted. The move comes after a late-night protest on Saturday by a small group outside the mission premises.
India earlier this week had suspended visa services
India earlier this week had suspended visa services in several Bangladeshi cities, including Khulna, Rajshahi and Chattogram, citing security concerns. The development comes after Chattogram, protests turned violent following demonstrators allegedly pelted stones at the visa office building.
It should be noted that the diplomatic tensions between the two countries come against the backdrop of growing unrest in Bangladesh following the death of youth leader Sharif Osman Hadi, who succumbed to gunshot injuries after an assassination attempt earlier this month. His death also triggered widespread protests across the country with some of them taking a sharply anti-India tone, further straining the already fragile security and diplomatic environment.
MEA rejects reports on protest outside Bangaldesh High Commission
However, India on Sunday trashed as "misleading propaganda" media reports in Bangladesh that a demonstration outside Bangladesh's mission in New Delhi against the killing of a Hindu man in that country attempted to create a security situation.
The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said about 20-25 youths gathered in front of the Bangladesh high commission on Saturday and raised slogans in protest against the "horrendous killing" of Dipu Chandra Das in Bangladesh's Mymensingh. It said the protesters also called for the protection of all minorities in Bangladesh.
New Delhi urges Dhaka to bring perpetrators to justice
New Delhi also urged the interim government in Dhaka to bring to justice the perpetrators of the "barbaric killing" of Das.
Certain reports in Bangladeshi media claimed that the youths protesting outside the Bangladesh high commission tried to breach the security of the premises.
There was "no attempt to breach the fence or create a security situation at any time", the ministry said, adding the police dispersed the group after a few minutes and visual evidence of these events is publicly available.
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