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India has suspended visa operations at the Indian Visa Application Centre (IVAC) in Chittagong with effect from Sunday until further notice, following a violent incident near the Assistant High Commission of India in the Bangladeshi port city, officials said.
They added that resuming visa services would depend on a review of the prevailing security situation.
The move follows violence outside the Indian Assistant High Commission on Friday, during which at least four people sustained injuries, including two police personnel.
According to local media reports, the unrest followed the death of Sharif Osman Hadi, spokesperson of the radical group Inqilab Mancha.
Protesters gathered outside the Indian mission’s office in the Khulshi area of Chittagong and began hurling bricks and vandalising parts of the premises in the early hours of Friday, police said.
Chittagong Metropolitan Police (CMP) Commissioner Hasib Aziz said police intervention led to a chase and counter-chase between security forces and protesters. Those injured in the clashes received treatment at Chittagong Medical College Hospital.
Aziz added that police detained several people at the spot and are likely to book them under the Anti-Terrorism Act, according to the Bangladeshi daily Dhaka Tribune.
Earlier on Wednesday, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) summoned Bangladesh High Commissioner to India Riaz Hamidullah to convey New Delhi’s strong concerns over the deteriorating security situation in Bangladesh.
The MEA said the Bangladeshi envoy’s attention was specifically drawn to the activities of certain extremist elements who have reportedly announced plans to create a security situation around the Indian mission in Dhaka.
India also rejected what it described as a false narrative that extremist groups are promoting regarding recent developments in Bangladesh.
India Seeks Accountability From Interim Government
The ministry expressed concern that the interim government led by Muhammad Yunus has neither conducted a comprehensive investigation nor shared any meaningful evidence with India related to the incidents.
India called upon the Yunus-led interim administration to ensure the safety and security of Indian missions and posts in Bangladesh in line with its diplomatic obligations.
Meanwhile, 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 Chittagong.
The incident occurred on Thursday night in the Chashmahill area, where protesters also torched a motorcycle inside the house belonging to former Chittagong mayor Mohiuddin Chowdhury.
Confirming the incident, Officer-in-Charge of Panchlaish Police Station, 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 witnessed a sharp rise in violence and a deterioration in law and order under the Muhammad Yunus-led interim government.
Also Read: India Rejects ‘Misleading Propaganda’ Over Protest At Bangladesh High Commission
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