Kolkata mission curtails visa for Indians
Staff Reporter :
The Deputy High Commission of Bangladesh in Kolkata has curtailed the issuance of visas for Indian nationals amid escalating tensions between the two countries.
On Tuesday, the Bangladesh Assistant High Commission in Agartala suspended all visa and consular services due to security concerns following vandalism at its premises.
In response, Dhaka decided to limit visa issuance for Indian citizens at the Kolkata mission. This marks the first time in the history of bilateral relations that such a strict measure has been implemented.
On December 5, the Bangladesh government issued a confidential directive to the Kolkata mission, instructing it to limit the granting of blanket visas to Indian citizens. The measure took effect on Friday.
A mission official confirmed that the issuance of general, business, and tourist visas to Indian nationals has been reduced, although visas for attendees of the upcoming Biswa Ijtema of Tablighi Jamaat are unlikely to be affected.
Following the vandalism at the Bangladesh Assistant High Commission in Tripura, all activities there were suspended, and the visa issuance process was halted. However, no similar directives have been issued for the missions in Delhi or Assam as yet.
Sources from Bangladesh’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs indicated that, depending on the situation in Kolkata and Tripura, similar restrictions could be extended to other missions in India.
As a result, it has become more difficult for Indian citizens in Kolkata and Tripura to obtain visas to Bangladesh.
Additionally, last Wednesday, Bangladesh’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs ordered the return of the High Commissioners from Tripura and Kolkata to Dhaka, where they arrived within 24 hours.
The strained relations between Bangladesh and India have been further exacerbated by issues involving minorities, the arrest of ISKCON leader Chinmoy Das, the vandalism at the Agartala mission, and the desecration of the Bangladeshi flag.
While Bangladesh has limited visa issuance due to security concerns, Bangladeshis are also facing challenges in obtaining Indian visas following the change in government in Bangladesh on August 5.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Bangladesh has called on India to increase the availability of visas, but India has cited a shortfall of manpower in its missions in Bangladesh.
Bangladeshi students, who typically travel to India to obtain visas for third countries as many Western embassies are based there, are particularly affected by the limited availability of Indian visa services.
In response, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Bangladesh has requested the Bulgarian and Romanian embassies to facilitate visa issuance for Bangladeshi students.
As a result, the Bulgarian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has agreed to issue visas to 86 Bangladeshi students through its embassies in Vietnam and Indonesia.
Similarly, the Romanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs is helping facilitate visa issuance for Bangladeshi students through its embassies in Vietnam and Thailand, according to the Bangladesh Foreign Ministry.