Staff Reporter :
Bangladesh’s High Commissioner to India, M Riaz Hamidullah faces violent threats in New Delhi, sources said.
The threat comes after far right Hindutva groups staged a protest close to the Bangladesh High Commission on Saturday.
Besides, on Monday members of several Hindutva organisations vandalised and shut down Bangladesh’s visa centre in Siliguri, West Bengal, after marching in protest over allegations of persecution of the Hindu community in Bangladesh.
Following the vandalism, the Bangladesh visa centre in Siliguri was closed.
The protesters included members of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP), Hindu Jagaran Manch, and Siliguri Metropolitan Organisation.
On the other hand, the Bangladesh High Commission in Delhi has temporarily halted all consular services, including visa issuance, citing unavoidable circumstances.
Officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed on Monday that the suspension will remain in effect until further notice.
A notice displayed at the High Commission states: “Due to unavoidable circumstances, all consular services and visa issuance at the Bangladesh High Commission in New Delhi are temporarily suspended until further notice.”
The suspension follows a protest on Saturday night by 20–25 members of the extremist group Akhand Hindu Rashtra Sena outside the High Commission.
Diplomatic sources in Delhi and Kolkata told media that for several years a company named DU Digital had been entrusted with operating Bangladesh’s visa centre in Siliguri.
According to diplomatic sources, around 300 members of the VHP, Hindu Jagaran Manch, and Siliguri Metropolitan Organisation gathered at Bagha Jatin Park in Siliguri to protest alleged atrocities against the Hindu community in Bangladesh. They then marched in procession and surrounded the Bangladesh visa office.
During the protest, they demanded an end to the persecution of minority Hindus in Bangladesh, justice for the killing of Dipu Das, and punishment for those responsible.
Later, a five-member delegation from the protesters went to the visa office and spoke with the authorities, asking that the visa office remain closed as a form of protest.
At that time, one member of the delegation called a DU Digital official and said, “We have only one request—do not open this office. Inform your concerned officials that this office must not be opened.
Hindus are being persecuted in Bangladesh, and you will not be allowed to do business here. Remove all Bangladesh visa-related banners or boards by today.”
The same delegation member later told local media that they would inform the central and state governments on behalf of their organisations. He said that Hindus were being persecuted in Bangladesh and that they did not want any Indian or any Hindu to travel to Bangladesh or conduct business there.
A diplomatic source in Kolkata said that, considering security concerns arising from the situation, DU Digital closed the visa centre before 3:00 pm on Monday. A decision on reopening the visa centre will be taken after reviewing the situation.
In response to the incident, the Bangladesh Deputy High Commission in Kolkata has sent a diplomatic note to the Kolkata office of India’s Ministry of External Affairs, requesting enhanced security for the visa centre in Siliguri.
Earlier on Saturday, As a group identifying itself as Akhand Hindu Rashtra Sena staged a protest outside the Bangladesh High Commission in New Delhi late Saturday night, chanting anti-Bangladesh slogans, diplomatic sources in Dhaka and Delhi said.
According to the sources, around 20 to 25 demonstrators arrived in four to five vehicles, breached a security barricade, and briefly assembled in front of the main gate of Bangladesh House before dispersing.
At the time of the demonstration, Bangladesh’s High Commissioner to India, M Riaz Hamidullah, along with members of his family, was inside the High Commission premises, the sources added.
The incident has triggered concern within diplomatic circles over how the protesters managed to reach the mission despite strict security measures in New Delhi’s diplomatic zone, which houses several foreign missions.
An official of the Bangladesh High Commission told Banglanews on Sunday that several individuals arrived in three vehicles between 8:30 pm and 8:45 pm, stood near the gate, and shouted slogans for a brief period.
The official said the chants—delivered in a mix of Bangla and Hindi—included demands to “ensure the safety of Hindus” and calls to “catch the High Commissioner.” The group reportedly moved closer to the main gate, shouted again, and then left the area.
Sources said Bangladesh’s interim government is viewing the incident with seriousness and is weighing an official response along with possible further measures.
The report also recalled that during a deterioration in bilateral relations around 2004, extremist groups had attempted to march toward the Bangladesh High Commission but were stopped by police at a distance—an intervention that, according to the sources, did not occur in this instance.
The protest comes amid heightened diplomatic tensions between Bangladesh and India, following recent demonstrations in Dhaka that led India to summon Bangladesh’s High Commissioner over security concerns for its mission.
