All Indian visa application centers in violence-hit Bangladesh will stay closed till further notice due to the “unstable situation” created by enormous rallies that forced Sheikh Hasina to resign as Prime Minister and flee to India earlier this week.
The Indian Visa Application Centre advised applicants on their website that the next date will be communicated via SMS and that passports may be collected the following working day.
“All Indian visa application centres will remain closed till further notice, due to the unstable situation. The next application date will be informed through SMS and it is requested to pick up the passport on the next working day,” the notice read.
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190 evacuates non-essential staff from High Commission in Dhaka
The announcement came after India evacuated 190 non-essential staff members and their families from the Indian High Commission in Dhaka following the fall of Sheikh Hasina’s administration on Monday, officials said. However, all diplomats remain in Bangladesh, and the missions continue to function, according to sources.
Other than the High Commission in Dhaka, India maintains assistant high commissioners or consulates in Chittagong, Rajshahi, Khulna, and Sylhet.
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Violent protests in Bangladesh
Protests occurred in June, mostly spearheaded by students, over a contentious job quota system that offered 30% reservation to the families of veterans who fought in the Liberation War in 1971. The protests, which began peacefully, became violent after police swooped down on them.
The demonstrations sparked a large protest movement against Sheikh Hasina’s 15-year administration, seeking her resignation at the age of 76. Despite Sheikh Hasina’s resignation and departure from Bangladesh for India with his sister on Monday, turmoil persists, with hundreds of Hindu-owned homes and businesses, as well as temples, being vandalised and robbed.
