Staff Reporter:
It is saddening to note that millions of Bangladeshi nationals have been denied visas to visit India. In the aftermath of the fall of the autocratic regime of Sheikh Hasina, the Indian government has halted the issuance of visas.
The Indian High Commission suspended issuing visas to Bangladeshi nationals after Hasina fled to New Delhi on 5 August 2024. The Indian government, in an official statement, said that its visa offices in Dhaka and elsewhere were subjected to hooliganism and vandalism. Another reason cited was that visa centre staff, deployed from the State Bank of India, returned home in August. Delhi reportedly has no immediate plans to send staff to the visa centres in Dhaka, Chattogram, Rajshahi, Sylhet, and Khulna.
While a significant number of visas are typically issued, the process has been restricted in recent months due to staffing shortages and political tensions, according to the Times of India.
Citing security concerns after incidents of vandalism, India has imposed a blanket suspension on issuing visas to Bangladeshi applicants, with only a few exceptions. These include students admitted to Indian institutions, critically ill patients requiring treatment, and applicants needing a visa for a third country in the absence of an alternative issuance facility.
Such a moratorium on visa issuance has not only affected millions of Bangladeshis travelling for tourism, religious purposes, and medical treatment, but has also severely disrupted transportation and connectivity.
Railway services between Dhaka and Kolkata, Khulna and Kolkata, and Dhaka and Siliguri have come to a grinding halt.
The planned Agartala–Kolkata train service, which was supposed to whistle through Bangladesh, has yet to begin its maiden journey.
Direct passenger bus services operated by state transport companies from Dhaka to Kolkata have also come to a screeching halt. There were scores of private bus services between the two countries, which have unfortunately stopped. The bus service from Agartala to Kolkata via Dhaka has also stopped.
Air travel has also been disrupted. National and private airlines operating on the Dhaka–Delhi and Dhaka–Chennai routes have significantly reduced their flights. The Chattogram-Kolkata flights have been cancelled due to a drop in passengers.
Currently, direct flights from Dhaka to several Indian cities, including Chennai, New Delhi, Mumbai, and Kolkata, are operated by IndiGo, Air India, Biman Bangladesh Airlines, and US-Bangla Airlines. Other connected cities include Bangalore and Hyderabad.
In the early weeks of the visa suspension, protests were staged in front of Bangladeshi missions in Guwahati, Kolkata, and Agartala. The Bangladesh Deputy High Commission in Agartala was even mobbed by radical Hindu nationalists. Meanwhile, the Bangladesh missions in Agartala and Guwahati have resumed issuance of visas to Indian nationals.
Hospitality service associations had declared a ban on hosting Bangladeshi nationals in hotels and guesthouses in Guwahati, Kolkata, and Agartala.
However, hoteliers in Kolkata and Agartala later backed out of the boycott campaign after hotel occupancy rates collapsed. They instead blamed radical Hindu nationalist groups for initiating the boycott, which they said damaged their businesses that heavily rely on Bangladeshi travellers and tourists.
A large portion of the visas issued to Bangladeshi nationals is for medical purposes, as India is a popular destination for healthcare services. According to ThePrint, in 2023, India issued approximately 1.6 million visas to Bangladeshi nationals, including 450,000 medical visas.
The Indian High Commission in Dhaka issued tourist visas for various purposes, including visiting family, friends, and children studying in India, and for pilgrimage. These were issued from the Dhaka mission and assistant high commissions in Chattogram and Rajshahi.
Typically, long-term multiple-entry tourist visas were granted for up to one year, with a maximum stay of 90 days per visit. Senior citizens and Muktijoddhas (Liberation War veterans of 1971) were eligible for five-year multiple-entry visas, also limited to 90 days per visit.
Bangladeshi political historian and researcher Mohiuddin Ahmad lamented the suspension, pointing out that daily visas were commonly issued for purposes like medical treatment, education, and tourism. The suspension of visas has significantly strained bilateral relations, and there is no sign of improvement in diplomatic engagement regarding the visa regime.
He squarely blamed India for the moratorium on visas for Bangladeshi nationals, while noting that Bangladesh has continued to issue visas across all categories to Indian citizens.
Previously, both nations had unwritten understandings that allowed for delays or non-issuance of visas to journalists, human rights activists, political researchers, and opposition activists—often for obvious reasons.
However, Bangladeshi missions in India began issuing visas to journalists on a fast-track basis after Chief Adviser Prof Muhammad Yunus urged authorities to facilitate visas for Indian journalists to visit Bangladesh and report on the country’s human rights situation and the status of Hindus — issues that have drawn negative coverage due to reports of atrocities and persecution of religious minorities.
Following the collapse of the Awami League government amid last year’s violent July–August protests, Delhi has since distanced itself from Dhaka, said Ambassador Humayun Kabir. He added that India has imposed various restrictions on trade and connectivity with Bangladesh, which has further strained the relationship.
He noted that the tipping point in bilateral relations was India’s moratorium on issuing visas to Bangladeshi nationals. Moreover, several land border gates have been closed to Bangladeshi exporters, particularly those dealing in garments and other goods.
It seems that Delhi has decided not to cooperate with the interim government — a regime that the top brass in South Block describes as holding Yunus responsible for the ouster of their all-weather friend Sheikh Hasina and for allowing Islamists to gain influence in governing the country.
According to Kabir, diplomatic relations have “fallen off the cliff” and may take months or even years to recover. Still, he expressed hope that relations may improve once a political government is restored through a free, fair, and credible general election early next year.
Despite that, Kabir doubts that India will warmly welcome Bangladesh’s next political government after the upcoming February general election. He said India may struggle to find compelling reasons to restore close ties.
He concluded that Bangladesh continues to hold vast potential in trade, commerce, and joint ventures—opportunities Indian business moguls and policymakers in Delhi cannot afford to ignore.
Saleem Samad is an award-winning journalist and Editor-in-Chief of Daily Sun. He can be reached at saleemsamad@hotmail.com; Twitter (X): @saleemsamad
