Indian visa operations in Chittagong have been suspended indefinitely following a security incident at the Assistant High Commission of India (AHCI) in the second largest city of Bangladesh.
The move came in the wake of unrest across the country following the death of Sharif Osman Hadi, a leader of the protests that led to the ouster of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and her Awami League government in 2024.
A candidate for the scheduled February 12 elections, Hadi was shot in the head on December 12 by masked gunmen in Dhaka and died while undergoing treatment in Singapore on December 18. His death triggered attacks and vandalism across Bangladesh, including Chittagong.
In a statement Sunday, the Indian Visa Application Centre Bangladesh said services had been halted for an indefinite period.
“Due to a recent security incident at AHCI Chittagong, Indian visa operations at IVAC Chittagong will remain suspended from 21/12/2025 until further notice,” it stated.
The IVAC said the decision to resume services will depend on a thorough assessment of the local environment.
“The announcement for reopening the visa centre will be made after reviewing the situation,” it said.
In New Delhi, the Ministry of External Affairs said India continues to keep a “close watch on the evolving situation” in Bangladesh. Officials are in touch with Bangladesh authorities and have conveyed to them “strong concerns” at the attacks on minorities.
While responding to a reported demonstration outside the Bangladesh High Commission in New Delhi, MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said, “We have noted misleading propaganda in sections of the Bangladesh media on the incident. The fact is that about 20-25 youth gathered in front of the Bangladesh High Commission in New Delhi on December 20 and raised slogans in protest against the horrendous killing of Dipu Chandra Das in Mymensingh, while also calling for the protection of all minorities in Bangladesh.”
“There was no attempt to breach the fence or create a security situation at any time. The police stationed at the spot dispersed the group after a few minutes. Visual evidence of these events is available publicly for all to see. India is committed to ensure the safety of foreign missions/posts in its territory in accordance with the Vienna Convention,” he said.
“India continues to keep a close watch on the evolving situation in Bangladesh. Our officials remain in touch with Bangladesh authorities and have conveyed to them our strong concerns at the attacks on minorities. We have also urged that the perpetrators of the barbaric killing of Das be brought to justice,” Jaiswal said.
On Sunday, 10 individuals were arrested in connection with the killing of 27-year-old Hindu youth, Dipu Chandra Das, in Mymensingh.
Das was beaten to death by a mob over alleged blasphemy, and his body was subsequently set on fire on December 18.
Muhammad Yunus, who heads the interim government of Bangladesh, in a post on X, said: “10 Arrested in Mymensingh Hindu Youth Beating Murder Case: Mymensingh, 20 December 2025: Law enforcement agencies have arrested ten individuals in connection with the beating murder of Dipu Chandra Das (27), a Sanatan Hindu youth, in Baluka, Mymensingh.” The Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) apprehended seven suspects, while police arrested three others.
PTI adds from Dhaka: Bangladesh “entirely” rejected India’s comments over the demonstration in front of its high commission in New Delhi, questioning how the protesters were allowed to come so close to the installation in a secured diplomatic enclave.
“Regarding the Indian press note, we completely reject it, entirely reject it. The issue has been presented as if it were very simple, whereas in reality it is not,” state-run news agency Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha (BSS) quoted the interim government’s foreign affairs adviser M Touhid Hossain as saying at a media briefing.
He questioned how a group of 25 to 30 people, “described as belonging to a Hindu extremist organisation, could reach such a sensitive zone,” adding under normal circumstances this should not have been possible “unless they were allowed the access.”
Hossain also called the MEA statement “oversimplified” saying “they (India) say it may have been 20–25 people, but that is not the point.” He also said the protesters also did not merely raise slogans over the killing of a Bangladeshi Hindu citizen but made “other statements as well,” and claimed that reports published in Bangladeshi newspapers were largely accurate and not misleading.
People stage a protest over the death of Sharif Osman Hadi, one of the key leaders in the Bangladesh student uprising, in Dhaka, Bangladesh, Friday, Dec. 19, 2025. (PTI Photo) 
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