Bangladesh has suspended visa and consular services at its High Commission in New Delhi, Assistant High Commission in Agartala (Tripura), and Siliguri visa centre from 22-23 December 2025, citing security concerns after protests by small groups of Hindu nationalists outside the New Delhi mission on 20 December.
These demonstrations demanded justice for the killing of Hindu garment worker Dipu Chandra Das in Bangladesh’s Mymensingh district and broader protection for minorities; Bangladesh alleges its High Commissioner Riaz Hamidullah faced death threats, while India’s Ministry of External Affairs maintains police swiftly dispersed the 20-25 protesters peacefully in line with Vienna Convention protocols, reporting no security breach.
In retaliation, India halted services at its missions in Chattogram, Khulna, and Rajshahi; both nations summoned each other’s envoys, with no service resumption announced as of 24 December 2025, exacerbating strains rooted in post-Sheikh Hasina political upheaval.​​
Protests Ignite Reciprocal Suspensions
The chain of events began on 20 December when members of the Akhand Hindu Rashtra Sena gathered outside the Bangladesh High Commission in New Delhi, raising slogans against Dhaka’s handling of minority issues, particularly the brutal murder of Dipu Chandra Das, a young Hindu worker lynched amid communal tensions in Mymensingh.
Eyewitnesses described a tense but contained scene, with protesters waving placards calling for accountability and safety for Hindus in Bangladesh, where reports of attacks have surged since the 2024 student-led uprising.
Bangladesh responded swiftly with a public notice declaring, “All consular and visa services at the High Commission in New Delhi, Assistant High Commission in Agartala, and visa application centre in Siliguri stand temporarily suspended due to unavoidable circumstances,” directly linking the halt to the “unruly protests” that allegedly endangered staff.​
Bangladesh’s Foreign Adviser Touhid Hossain elaborated in media briefings that High Commissioner Hamidullah personally received credible death threats during the unrest, prompting the precautionary measure to protect diplomatic personnel and premises.
On the Indian side, Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal countered that local police acted decisively within minutes to disperse the group, upholding India’s commitments under international law, and dismissed Bangladesh’s claims as exaggerated.
Similar disruptions followed in Agartala, where fears of vandalism at the Assistant High Commission led to an immediate shutdown, and in Siliguri, affecting visa processing for cross-border traders, medical patients from India’s northeast seeking treatment in Bangladesh, and students pursuing education across the porous frontier.
These suspensions have stranded hundreds, with long queues turning away desperate applicants amid the holiday season, humanising the diplomatic fallout as families and workers grapple with uncertainty.​​
Deepening Divide from Hasina’s Fall to Minority Clashes
This latest flashpoint builds on a year of fraying ties following the dramatic ouster of former Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in August 2024, when mass protests forced her to flee to India, where she remains under protection a move Dhaka views as interference.
Bangladesh summoned India’s envoy on 14 December over Hasina’s sheltering, accusing New Delhi of harbouring a “fugitive,” while India has repeatedly raised alarms about escalating violence against Hindus and other minorities in Bangladesh post-uprising.
Foreign affairs expert Sushant Sareen highlighted India’s prior suspensions at its Bangladesh missions after violent mobs threatened Indian diplomatic properties, stating, “Bangladesh is being disingenuous; there is a clear and present security threat to Indian missions, which prompted our response first.”​
The Dipu Chandra Das killing has become a poignant symbol: the 25-year-old tailor was beaten to death on suspicion of theft in a Muslim-majority area, igniting outrage among Indian Hindu groups who see it as part of a pattern, including the November 2024 arrest of monk Chinmoy Krishna Das, which previously sparked protests.
Bangladesh rejects these as propaganda, insisting its interim government under Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus is committed to communal harmony, yet data from local rights groups indicate over 200 attacks on minorities since August 2024.
India’s northeast, sharing a 4,000-km border with Bangladesh, feels the ripple effects acutely Tripura and Siliguri hubs facilitate vital people-to-people links strained by these tit-for-tat measures, evoking memories of 2015 Land Boundary Agreement goodwill now overshadowed by mistrust.​
The Logical Indian’s Perspective
In South Asia’s interconnected tapestry, where rivers flow across borders and families span nations, diplomatic spats like these visa suspensions inflict real pain on ordinary folk students missing exams, traders losing livelihoods, patients delaying care while leaders trade accusations from afar.
The Logical Indian stands firmly for de-escalation, urging India and Bangladesh to embody peace, empathy, and dialogue as neighbours bound by history, from 1971’s liberation war to shared fights against climate change and poverty.
Prioritising minority protections through independent probes, securing missions without reprisals, and restarting talks on Hasina’s status could restore harmony, fostering coexistence and positive change over cycles of protest and suspension that benefit no one.
