Mr Viral
As per the latest news reports, passports of more than 20,000 Bangladeshis have been returned. This move comes in the wake of widespread protests and threats directed toward the Indian High Commission in Dhaka.
If reports are to go by, this situation was the result of visa services for Bangladeshi nationals being suspended indefinitely, which left many applicants in limbo.
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Referring to this, sources in the know how confirmed that only a limited number of urgent visa requests are currently being processed, which include exceptions like medical emergencies, student visas, and double-entry visas necessary for travel to third countries.
As reported earlier, visa services were suspended following protests that erupted after the recent fall of the Sheikh Hasina government, which heightened tensions between the two nations.
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The Indian visa application centres in Bangladesh have been largely closed, prompting frustrated applicants to inundate the High Commission with emails—some even containing threats of vandalism. Reports indicate that staff members at the visa application centres faced heckling, and social media platforms became outlets for public discontent, with individuals tagging the High Commission in their grievances.
Reports add that Bangladesh has been a significant contributor of visitors to India. Approximately 1.6 million visas were issued to Bangladeshi nationals in 2023 alone, out of which around 450,000 were issued for medical purposes. However, since August 5, the issuance of visas has been severely restricted, which has been attributed to both staffing shortages and a deliberate policy decision reflecting the current political climate.
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As per the reports, since Bangladesh lacks diplomatic missions, Bangladeshis often rely on India to get visas to other countries. especially Europe. And now with Durga Puja approaching, there is rising concern as a noticeable increase in visa applications has been noticed, especially from individuals wishing to travel to West Bengal to attend the festival.
The High Commission is exercising precautions due to escalating tensions between the countries. It’s extremely cautious in the matter of temporary visas, as there were instances of misuse reported, such as individuals travelling on a medical visa for non-health care related purposes. Meanwhile, both the governments are trying to bring things to normalcy.
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