No visas for Indians in Bangladesh as all issuing centres shut down indefinitely amid unrest

The unrest in Bangladesh has forced all Indian visa application centres in the country to shut down till further notice. Meanwhile, normalcy is expected to return in Bangladesh as the interim government will take oath on Thursday evening and will be headed by Muhammad Yunus whose name has been suggested by student leaders who were demanding for abolishment of quotas in civil services jobs.

The Indian Visa Application Centre (IVAC) Bangladesh on its website said: “All IVACs will remain closed till further notice, due to the unstable situation (in Bangladesh).”

“Next application date will be informed through SMS and it is requested to pick up the passport on the next working day,” IVAC further said.

The clashes and protests in Bangladesh turned violent on August 5 forcing Sheikh Hasina to resign as Prime Minister and flee the country.

The shutting down of Indian visa centres in Bangladesh comes a day after New Delhi evacuated non-essential staff and their families from its High Commission and consulates in Dhaka amid the volatile situation in the neighbouring country.

NDTV quoted sources in the government as saying that Indian diplomats, however, remain in Bangladesh and the missions are functional.

In Bangladesh, India has a high commission in capital Dhaka and consulates in Chittagong, Rajshahi, Khulna and Sylhet.

Briefing the parliament on the situation in Bangladesh, External Affairs Minister (EAM) S Jaishankar informed that there are nearly 19,000 Indian nationals in the neighbouring country of which 9,000 are students.

He further said that many of the students have returned to India after the protests broke out in Bangladesh.

Jaishankar had further said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government is in close contact with the Indian community in Bangladesh and also is monitoring the situation regarding minorities living in the country.

Source: Firstpost