New Delhi has lodged a formal protest with the Bangladeshi High Commissioner after a radical group announced a march to besiege the Indian mission in Dhaka, prompting the suspension of visa operations.
India’s Ministry of External Affairs summoned the Bangladesh High Commissioner, M. Riaz Hamidullah, to South Block on Wednesday (17 December) to express “strong concerns” over the safety of its diplomats. The move came after a radical group, July Oikyo Mancho, publicly threatened to stage a “March to Indian High Commission” earlier in the day to protest alleged Indian interference in Bangladeshi politics.
The MEA acted quickly after the group called for the march to start at 3:00 PM local time from Rampura Bridge in Dhaka. Responding to the immediate security threat, the Indian High Commission in Dhaka announced it was suspending all visa processing operations from 2:00 PM onwards.
Indian officials expressed frustration with the interim government in Bangladesh, led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus, for failing to curb what they called a “false narrative” being spread by extremist elements. The summons also follows provocative remarks made earlier this week by Hasnat Abdullah, a leader of the National Citizen Party, who threatened to “isolate” India’s seven northeastern states and offer refuge to separatists if Bangladesh was destabilized.
“India completely rejects the false narrative sought to be created by extremist elements… It is unfortunate that the interim government has neither conducted a thorough investigation nor shared meaningful evidence with India regarding the incidents,” the MEA said following the meeting.
High Commissioner Hamidullah, while acknowledging the summons, tried to downplay the rift, saying, “We believe our relationship with India is in our shared interest… We are fully focused on prosperity, peace, and security in the region.”
Diplomatic ties between the neighbors have seriously deteriorated since the ouster of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in August 2024. The current standoff is retaliatory escalation. Just days earlier, Dhaka had summoned the Indian High Commissioner to protest alleged “incendiary statements” made by Hasina from her exile in India. The timing is also sensitive, coming just a day after Vijay Diwas (16 December), which marks the 1971 victory over Pakistan. That shared historical milestone has recently become a flashpoint for anti-India rhetoric among certain student factions in Dhaka.
With the Indian visa facility now temporarily shut down and rhetoric getting harder on both sides, the immediate focus is on whether Bangladeshi authorities will step in to stop the planned march. Continued security threats could lead to further downsizing of India’s diplomatic presence, complicating travel for thousands of Bangladeshi citizens who depend on Indian visas for medical treatment and trade.
Also Read / Dhaka Under Siege: Analyzing the Recent Bomb Blast and Bangladesh’s Growing Security Crisis.
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