A day after India suspended visa services at the Indian Visa Application Centre (IVAC) in Chattogram, Bangladesh responded with a reciprocal step by temporarily halting consular and visa services at its mission in New Delhi. The Bangladesh High Commission announced that all such services would remain suspended until further notice, citing unavoidable circumstances. The decision came amid rapidly worsening relations between the two neighbours.
According to sources cited by India Today TV, the move was widely seen as a tit-for-tat response following India’s earlier action in Bangladesh. Diplomatic ties between New Delhi and Dhaka have been under intense strain since the death of Bangladeshi youth leader Sharif Osman Hadi, an incident that triggered unrest and violent protests in several parts of Bangladesh.
On Sunday, India suspended visa operations at the Indian Visa Application Centre in Chattogram, a major port city in southeastern Bangladesh. The suspension was announced in the wake of growing security concerns following protests linked to the killing of Osman Hadi, who had played a prominent role in last year’s mass uprising that led to the ouster of former prime minister Sheikh Hasina.
In its official statement, the Bangladesh High Commission in New Delhi said, “Due to unavoidable circumstances, all consular and visa services from the Bangladesh High Commission in New Delhi are temporarily suspended until further notice.” The mission also expressed regret over the inconvenience caused to applicants and members of the public.
India’s decision to suspend visa services in Chattogram came days after large groups of protesters gathered outside the Assistant High Commission of India in the city, raising serious security concerns. According to sources, demonstrators issued threatening warnings, including calls for “bloodshed” at Indian visa facilities in other Bangladeshi cities such as Rajshahi. Some protesters were reported to have spoken about taking up swords or other weapons if their demands were not met, further heightening fears of violence.
In a separate advisory, Indian authorities stated that visa operations at IVAC Chittagong would remain suspended from December 21, 2025, until further notice due to a recent security incident at the Assistant High Commission of India in the city. The advisory underscored the seriousness of the situation and the risks faced by Indian diplomatic and consular facilities in Bangladesh.
The diplomatic standoff has also drawn attention at the highest levels in India. Last week, India’s Parliamentary Standing Committee on External Affairs, chaired by Congress MP Shashi Tharoor, issued a strong warning regarding the unfolding crisis in Bangladesh. The committee described the situation as India’s most serious strategic challenge in the neighbouring country since the 1971 Liberation War.
In its report presented to Parliament, the committee highlighted deeper structural concerns affecting India–Bangladesh relations. These included political realignments, a growing generational disconnect, and the increasing influence of China and Pakistan in Bangladesh’s strategic outlook. The report cited testimony given by a non-official witness before the panel in June, warning that while the 1971 crisis was an existential humanitarian challenge, the current situation poses a more subtle yet potentially more profound long-term threat to India’s regional interests.
Taken together, the suspension of visa and consular services on both sides reflects the depth of the current diplomatic rift. With security concerns, political instability, and regional strategic shifts all converging, relations between India and Bangladesh appear to be entering one of their most difficult phases in decades.
