Bangladesh Unrest
Dhaka
India has indefinitely suspended visa services at the Indian Visa Application Centre (IVAC) in Chattogram, Bangladesh’s southeastern port city, amid escalating unrest following the killing of prominent youth leader Sharif Osman Hadi. The move comes in the wake of security concerns after attacks linked to the violence targeted Indian diplomatic premises.
According to local media reports, visa operations at the Chattogram IVAC were halted from December 21, 2025, after stone-pelting incidents were reported at the residence of the Assistant High Commissioner of India in the city. The unrest erupted after Hadi’s death triggered widespread protests and vandalism across several parts of Bangladesh. An IVAC official told PTI that while Chattogram services have been suspended, the other four centres—located in Dhaka, Khulna, Rajshahi and Sylhet—are currently operational.
Earlier, India had temporarily shut its visa centre in Dhaka due to heightened security threats, reopening it a day later. Similar facilities in Rajshahi and Khulna were also briefly closed after anti-India protesters attempted to march towards Indian missions. Security was further tightened at Indian establishments in Sylhet to prevent any exploitation of the volatile situation.
Hadi, 32, was a key figure in last year’s student-led protests that resulted in the fall of the Sheikh Hasina-led Awami League government and was contesting the February 12 general elections. He was shot by masked assailants during a campaign event in Dhaka on December 12 and later died in Singapore. His funeral drew massive crowds amid tight security, with protesters raising strong anti-India slogans.
India has conveyed “strong concerns” over the attacks on minorities in Bangladesh to the authorites of the neighbouring country, MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said on Sunday.
Jaiswal said India has urged Bangladesh that the perpetrators of the barbaric killing of a Hindu man named Dipu Chandra Das be brought to justice.
