Diplomatic tensions surge as Bangladesh suspends visa services at multiple centres in India amid unrest
DHAKA: Cross-border tensions heightened on Monday after several Bangladeshi missions in India halted visa operations indefinitely, a move linked to the wave of protests and political volatility unfolding across Bangladesh following the killing of student leader Sharif Osman Hadi. The suspension of services added a new dimension to an already fragile phase in India-Bangladesh relations, which have been strained since the fall of the Sheikh Hasina government and the rise of the caretaker administration led by Muhammad Yunus.
As diplomatic tensions mounted, Bangladesh recorded another high-profile shooting on Monday. Muhammad Motaleb Sikdar, a central organiser of the National Citizen Party’s labour wing, Jatiya Sramik Shakti, was shot in the head at around 11:45 am at a house in Khulna’s Sonadanga area, according to reports in Prothom Alo. Sikdar had been preparing a divisional labour rally for the NCP when the attack occurred.
Mahmuda Mitu, the NCP’s joint principal coordinator, said in a Facebook post that Sikdar was rushed to Khulna Medical College Hospital in critical condition. The Kaler Kantha newspaper quoted hospital sources as saying he had a severe wound on the left side of his head and was bleeding heavily upon arrival. Police began what they described as an immediate manhunt but said they were still in the dark about the identity and motive of the attackers.
Meanwhile, people familiar with the matter said the Bangladesh High Commission in New Delhi stopped issuing visas on Monday, while its assistant high commission in Tripura had already suspended operations a day earlier after a demonstration by the Tipra Motha Party and other groups outside the Agartala mission. Visa facilities run by a private operator in Siliguri, West Bengal, were also halted following a vandalism incident. Notices posted in New Delhi and Agartala stated that consular and visa services would remain suspended until further orders because of unavoidable circumstances, though staff at the Agartala office continued to remain on duty.
The diplomatic turbulence coincided with rising anger on the streets of Bangladesh, where protests gained momentum after Hadi, known for his criticism of India and his role in last year’s student-led agitation that unseated the Awami League government, died in Singapore on Thursday. His death prompted multiple demonstrations around Indian missions. A large crowd attempted to storm India’s assistant high commission in Chittagong on December 18, forcing police to use teargas and batons. Indian visa services in the city were subsequently suspended. Protests were also held outside Indian missions in Dhaka, Khulna and Rajshahi.
On Sunday, India rejected claims of a security breach at the Bangladesh High Commission in New Delhi as misleading propaganda. The external affairs ministry said that about 20 to 25 youngsters had assembled outside the mission late on Saturday to denounce the killing of a Hindu man, Dipu Chandra Das, who was lynched after accusations of blasphemy during recent unrest. Police dispersed the group shortly afterward. Bangladesh’s de facto foreign minister Touhid Hossain, however, disputed India’s account and said the incident represented a serious security failure. Dhaka’s foreign ministry also challenged portrayals of the lynching as an attack on minorities.
The Khulna shooting came as the country was still reeling from the earlier attack on Hadi, who was shot in the head on December 12 during an election event in Dhaka’s Bijoynagar area. Hadi, aged 32, later died while being treated in Singapore. His killing triggered nationwide demonstrations and renewed calls for accountability. The Yunus-led interim government observed a nationwide mourning day on Saturday and pledged exhaustive efforts to locate the assailants. Authorities have arrested the parents, wife and a female friend of prime suspect Faisal Karim Masud but admitted they have no information on his whereabouts. For several days, some student leaders and political figures claimed that Hadi’s attackers had escaped into India and demanded that New Delhi hand them over. Bangladesh Police clarified on Sunday that the assailants’ location remains unknown.
with agency inputs
