Bangladesh has suspended visa services at several of its key diplomatic missions in India, citing security concerns in a move that highlights ongoing tensions between Dhaka and New Delhi.
Foreign Affairs Adviser M Touhid Hossain said the interim government had directed three Bangladeshi missions in India to temporarily close their visa sections. Speaking to reporters at a media briefing on Thursday, Hossain said the decision was taken purely on security grounds.
“What I have done is that I have asked our three missions [in India] to keep their visa sections closed for the time being. It’s a security issue,” he said.
The directive follows steps taken earlier this week by Bangladesh’s High Commission in New Delhi and its mission in Agartala. On Thursday night, the Deputy High Commission in Kolkata also restricted visa services. Business and work visas, however, remain exempt from the suspension.
Bangladesh continues to operate diplomatic missions in Mumbai and Chennai, where visa services are still available.
India had previously imposed visa restrictions on Bangladeshi nationals after Aug. 5, 2024, also citing security concerns.
Relations between the two neighbours have remained strained since the ouster of the Awami League government led by former prime minister Sheikh Hasina, who was forced from office following violent, student-led protests in July and August 2024.
Tensions have since deepened across diplomatic and sporting fronts. Bangladesh recently declined to send its national cricket team to India for the 2026 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, again citing security concerns. The Bangladesh Cricket Board formally requested the International Cricket Council to relocate Bangladesh’s matches outside India.
In a detailed submission to the ICC, the board said its concerns extended beyond player safety to visa access for team officials, media personnel, fans and other stakeholders, noting that the government had also raised similar issues.
Sporting ties were further strained after fast bowler Mustafizur Rahman was removed from his Indian Premier League squad amid worsening diplomatic relations, though no official explanation was given. Following that development, Bangladesh banned the broadcast of the IPL domestically and formally informed the ICC that it would not play its T20 World Cup matches in India.
The suspension of visa services marks the latest escalation in a relationship that has seen cooperation in trade, travel and sports increasingly overshadowed by political and security disputes.