As Durga Puja approaches, the number of visa applications has increased. File photo
The Indian High Commission in Bangladesh has returned more than 20,000 passports of visa applicants after allegedly receiving “threats and strongly worded emails”.
These passports have been under the care of the high commission since visa services for Bangladeshis remained suspended for a long time.
Indian government sources told The Print that only a few hundred requests for urgent visas, including medical, student and double entry, were being considered.
Indian visa application centres have remained largely shut since the ouster of Sheikh Hasina on August 5. Many ‘agitated’ applicants wrote angry emails to the high commissions and even threatened to vandalise it.
There were allegations of harassing visa application centre employees. A source told The Print that they made “a conscious decision” to not issue visas considering the current situation.
“Only some emergency cases such as medical cases that require urgent attention, student visas for those joining courses in India and in some cases double entry visas for people who have to come to India to apply for a visa for a third country are being allowed,” said one source.
As Durga Puja approaches, the number of visa applications has increased.
“Many Bangladeshi nationals travel to West Bengal for the puja. So, many requests are coming. A narrative has also begun that markets in Kolkata will suffer as people are being stopped from travelling to West Bengal,” said the source.
