(Commonwealth_India) India has shut down two more visa application centres in Bangladesh, in Rajshahi and Khulna, citing growing security concerns and deepening unease over the rapidly deteriorating political and law-and-order situation in the country. The closures come just days after the visa centre in Dhaka was temporarily suspended, underscoring the strain on India–Bangladesh relations at a sensitive moment.
The decision followed a protest march by radical Islamist groups operating under the banner of July Oikya, which gathered near the Indian High Commission in Dhaka. Protesters presented a range of demands, one of which was the reinstatement of former prime minister Sheikh Hasina, whose government fell last year.
Behind the administrative language lies a deeper anxiety in New Delhi. Indian officials have privately and publicly flagged a rise in openly hostile rhetoric towards India, particularly targeting the country’s northeastern region, often referred to as the “seven sisters”. This surge has coincided with the rule of the interim government led by Muhammad Yunus, which has signalled a shift towards closer engagement with Pakistan, a move seen in India as coming at the expense of Bangladesh’s historically close ties with New Delhi.
Bangladesh’s Foreign Affairs Advisor Touhid Hossain has sought to downplay India’s concerns. Hossain distanced the government from the comments made by student-turned-political leader Hasnat Abdullah, who publicly threatened to sever India’s northeastern states from the rest of the country.
“Hasnat is not part of the government,” he said. “If it were the government’s view, it would be stated at the highest level. This is irrelevant.”
Hossain also denied any breakdown in law and order, insisting that security had not been compromised even as anti-India protests continued in the capital and visa centres were forced to shut down.
Critics, however, argue that radical elements have been allowed significant freedom under the Yunus-led interim administration. Hasnat Abdullah, a leader of the National Citizen Party, has gone further, threatening to expel the Indian High Commissioner from Bangladesh, a statement that has alarmed diplomats and observers alike.
The NCP emerged from last year’s student-led protests that brought down Sheikh Hasina’s Awami League government, with backing from Jamaat-e-Islami Bangladesh and its student wing, Chhatra Shibir. Although the NCP remains a small political force, it has openly supported Muhammad Yunus as head of the interim government.
Explaining the earlier closure of the Dhaka visa center, Hossain claimed it was linked to a scheduled programme and general security concerns, reiterating: “We have ensured that security is not affected.” However, Indian officials view the repeated shutdowns as unavoidable evidence of a volatile environment.
Tensions have also surfaced over India’s call for early and peaceful elections in Bangladesh. The interim government has bristled at what it views as external advice.
“They have shared some advice with us, and I don’t think there is a need for them to advise us,” Hossain said, adding that India had remained silent during elections held over the past 15 years under a government with which it enjoyed close ties.
India, for its part, has adopted a measured diplomatic tone. In a statement, the Ministry of External Affairs said it expected the interim government to ensure law and order and hold elections so Bangladesh could return to a government with an elected mandate.
Political observers in Dhaka warn that radical groups supporting the interim administration may attempt to derail the electoral process by fuelling unrest and casting India as a convenient external adversary. Any delay in elections would extend the tenure of the unelected Yunus-led government beyond February, a prospect that has raised concerns both within Bangladesh and in India.
Despite repeated provocations, New Delhi has refrained from escalating rhetoric, even as statements from across the border directly challenge India’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, particularly in the northeast. For now, India’s response remains cautious, but the closures of visa centres signal that patience may be wearing thin.
