Bangladesh visa suspended? All consular services in THIS Indian state halted over security reasons

The Bangladesh Assistant High Commission in Agartala, the capital of Tripura, announced on Tuesday ‘the suspension of all visa and consular services with immediate effect until further notice’ owing to security reasons. This comes after protesters entered the mission's premises, demonstrating against the arrest of Hindu monk Chinmoy Krishna Das in Dhaka.

"Given the security situation, all visa and consular services at the Bangladesh Assistant High Commission, Agartala, will remain suspended until further notice. This comes into effect immediately," Md Al-Ameen, the first secretary to the Bangladesh mission, said.

Condemning the incident, Chief Minister Manik Saha said, "during the protest rally, a group of youth tried to barge into the Assistant High Commission office of Bangladesh in Agartala. I condemned the incident. Peaceful protest can be allowed but such behaviour is not acceptable."

On the other hand, All Tripura Hotel & Restaurant Owners' Association (ATHROA) said they will not serve Bangladeshi guests given the insult to the Indian flag there.

"We are a secular country and have respect for all religions. Our national flag has been desecrated and minorities are facing oppression by a section of fundamentalists in Bangladesh. Earlier too such incidents used to take place but now it has crossed the limit," he said.

Meanwhile, Bangladesh summoned the Indian envoy in Dhaka to express its protest over the reported vandalism of its mission in Tripura.

Protest continues in several Indian cities

Protests continued in several northeastern states, including Assam.

Thousands of people gathered in Agartala under the banner of 'Sanatani Yuva' and staged a rally demanding the immediate release of Das. They also protested against the oppression of minorities in that country.

The protesters were, however, not allowed to move towards the Akhaura Integrated Check Post (ICP) on the international border as the police denied them permission to hold the ‘March to Bangladesh’ programme.

In Kolkata, leader of the opposition in the West Bengal Assembly, Suvendu Adhikari, said human rights have been violated in Bangladesh as lawyers of arrested Hindu monk Chinmoy Krishna Das could not appear in a court as they were allegedly beaten up by fundamentalists.

(With inputs from agencies)