Indian visa application centre suspended indefinitely in Bangladesh's Chattogram
Dhaka (PTI): India on Sunday suspended visa operations at its mission in Bangladeshi port city of Chattogram until further notice, according to media reports.
The move comes in the wake of a fresh wave of unrest witnessed in the country following the death of prominent youth leader Sharif Osman Hadi.
His death triggered attacks and vandalism across Bangladesh, including stone-hurling at the Assistant Indian High Commissioner's residence in Chattogram on Thursday.
Hadi, a prominent leader of the student-led protests last year that led to the ouster of the prime minister Sheikh Hasina-led Awami League government, was a candidate for the scheduled February 12 general elections.
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He was shot in the head on December 12 by masked gunmen at an election campaign in central Dhaka’s Bijoynagar area and died while undergoing treatment in Singapore on December 18.
“Due to the recent security incident at Assistant High Commission of India (AHCI) Chittagong, Indian visa operations at IVAC Chittagong (Chattogram) will remain suspended from 21/12/2025 until further notice,” the Indian Visa Application Centre (IVAC) said in a brief statement.
The announcement for reopening the visa centre will be made after reviewing the situation, the statement added. The decision came into effect on Sunday.
There are five IVAC facilities across Bangladesh at Dhaka, Khulna, Rajshahi, Chattogram and Sylhet. An IVAC official told PTI that the other four offices have remained operational as of Sunday.
India on Thursday resumed operations at its visa application centre in Dhaka, a day after closing it over escalated security concerns, but closed for a brief period two other identical facilities in Rajshahi and Khulna as anti-India protestors tried to march towards the Indian missions there.
On Saturday, security was strengthened at the Indian Assistant High Commission office and the visa application centre in Bangladesh's Sylhet city.
The enhanced security measures were put in place to ensure that “no third party can exploit the situation,” Additional Deputy Commissioner (Media) of the Sylhet Metropolitan Police Saiful Islam was quoted as saying by The Dhaka Tribune newspaper on Saturday.
Hadi, 32, was laid to rest on Saturday amid extra-tight security beside the grave of National Poet Kazi Nazrul Islam near the Dhaka University mosque.
Tens of thousands of people attended the funeral prayers, and ahead of the ritual, chanted anti-India slogans like “Delhi or Dhaka - Dhaka, Dhaka” and “brother Hadi’s blood will not be allowed to go in vain.”
Earlier on December 17, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) summoned Bangladesh envoy Riaz Hamidullah and conveyed its strong concern over certain extremist elements announcing plans to create a security situation around the Indian mission in Dhaka.
“We expect the interim government to ensure the safety of Missions and Posts in Bangladesh in keeping with its diplomatic obligations,” it said.
The envoy was apprised of India's strong concerns about the deteriorating security environment in Bangladesh, it added.
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Kerala CM Vijayan flags ‘The Kerala Story 2’ as ‘threat to secularism’
Thiruvananthapuram (PTI): Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Wednesday expressed concern over the upcoming release of the second part of 'The Kerala Story', claiming that its first installment was made with the "intent to spread hatred against the state and undermine its secular tradition."
Vijayan, in a statement issued by his office, also questioned how "poisonous works produced to spread division and hatred in society" were allowed to be screened, while a film like 'Beef' was barred from a film festival.
He further said that Sangh Parivar centres had taken over and spread the false narrative conveyed by 'The Kerala Story'.
“They are spreading false propaganda by portraying even marriages conducted with mutual consent as examples of communalism and forced religious conversion,” the CM said.
He contended that such forces view Kerala—with no communal riots and a tradition of mutual respect among communities—with hostility, and termed them “enemies of the state” attempting to destroy the peace and tranquility of the region.
“We must collectively reject attempts to portray Kerala, a land of religious harmony that stands at the forefront of sustainable development and is a model in maintaining law and order, as a center of terrorism,” Vijayan said.
“It is the responsibility of each of us to ensure that Kerala’s secular foundation is not undermined by false propaganda and to reject it by upholding the values of secularism and brotherhood,” he added.
Directed by Kamakhya Narayan Singh, the teaser of 'Kerala Story 2: Goes Beyond', was released recently.
The first film, 'The Kerala Story', won awards for Best Direction and Best Cinematography at the 71st National Film Awards.
