Indian Visa Application Centres in major cities of Bangladesh have started providing a limited number of appointment slots for Bangladeshi nationals who need urgent medical and student visas. These services are available in Dhaka, Chattogram, Rajshahi, Sylhet, and Khulna.
Additionally, these centres are offering limited appointments for urgent cases involving Bangladeshi students and workers who need to travel to third countries and already have visa appointments with foreign embassies in India, according to a statement from the Indian Visa Application Centre (IVAC) in Bangladesh.
The statement also noted that these services will be limited until IVAC resumes its regular operations at a later date.
Earlier, in the first week of August, the Indian visa application centre in Dhaka had suspended services due to the “unstable situation” caused by weeks of severe protests, which led to the ousting of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and the establishment of an interim government. However, on August 12, the centre reopened for a “limited” period.
The protests, which began in mid-July against a controversial quota system in government jobs, escalated and resulted in the removal of Sheikh Hasina’s Awami League government on August 5. Since then, over 600 people have died in connection with the unrest.
Currently, Bangladesh is being governed by an interim administration led by 84-year-old Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus.
