Bangladesh limits visa issuance at Kolkata mission

NN Online:

Bangladesh has imposed restrictions on visa issuance for Indians, with a directive issued through a confidential letter on Thursday. The letter instructed the Kolkata deputy high commission to cease granting visas to Indians without restriction. The new measure took effect on Friday, as confirmed by the Kolkata high commission.

Earlier, following an attack and vandalism by miscreants at the Bangladesh Assistant High Commission in Agartala, Tripura, the Bangladesh government suspended all activities there. The issuance of visas to Indians was also halted as part of the suspension.

However, no such directive has been issued for the Delhi or Assam missions. According to sources from the Bangladesh Ministry of Foreign Affairs, similar instructions may be issued for Delhi and Assam as the situation in Kolkata and Tripura continues to be monitored.

On Wednesday, the Bangladesh Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a brief notice instructing the Assistant High Commissioner in Tripura, Arif Mohammad, and the Acting Deputy High Commissioner in Kolkata, Sikdar Mohammad Ashraful Rahman, to return to Dhaka for an indefinite period of time.

This has left the high commissions in Kolkata and Tripura effectively vacant. As a result, there are no senior officials available to facilitate direct communication between the Bangladesh government and the state governments of West Bengal and Tripura.