India suspends visa services in Chittagong after violent attack on mission

India has suspended visa services at its application centre in the Bangladeshi port city of Chittagong following a violent incident outside the Indian Assistant High Commission, officials said on Sunday. Operations at the Indian Visa Application Centre (IVAC) will remain halted until further notice, with any resumption to be announced only after a review of the security situation.

The decision comes after clashes erupted near the Indian mission in the Khulshi area of Chittagong on Friday, leaving at least four people injured, including two police personnel. According to local media, the violence followed the death of Sharif Osman Hadi, a spokesperson of the radical group Inqilab Mancha.

Police said protesters gathered outside the mission in the early hours, hurling bricks and vandalising parts of the premises. Chittagong Metropolitan Police commissioner Hasib Aziz said police intervention led to a chase and counter-chase between officers and demonstrators. Those injured were taken to Chittagong Medical College Hospital for treatment, he added.

Aziz said several people were detained from the spot and are likely to be booked under Bangladesh’s Anti-Terrorism Act, according to the Dhaka Tribune.

Earlier last week, India’s Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) summoned Bangladesh’s high commissioner to India, Riaz Hamidullah, to convey New Delhi’s strong concerns over what it described as a worsening security environment.

The MEA said the envoy’s attention was drawn to the activities of extremist elements that had reportedly announced plans to create a security situation around the Indian mission in Dhaka.

India also rejected what it termed a “false narrative” being pushed by extremist groups regarding recent developments in Bangladesh. The MEA expressed concern that the interim government led by Muhammad Yunus had neither conducted a comprehensive investigation nor shared meaningful evidence with India in connection with the incidents. New Delhi urged the Yunus-led administration to ensure the safety and security of Indian missions and posts in line with its diplomatic obligations.

Meanwhile, tensions spilled over into other parts of Chittagong. In a separate incident linked to protests over Hadi’s death, demonstrators set fire to the residence of former Awami League education minister Mohibul Hasan Chowdhury Naufel in the Chashmahill area on Thursday night. Protesters also torched a motorcycle inside the house belonging to former Chittagong mayor Mohiuddin Chowdhury.

Confirming the arson attack, Panchlaish police station officer-in-charge Md Solaiman said around 200 protesters had gathered in the Soloshahar and No. 2 Gate areas of the city to demonstrate over Hadi’s death.

Bangladesh has seen a sharp rise in violence and a deterioration in law and order in recent weeks, raising concerns in New Delhi about the safety of diplomatic establishments and personnel.

With IANS inputs