Bangladesh on Thursday closed two Indian Visa Application Centres (IVACs) located in Rajshahi and Khulna, citing the prevailing security situation in the country.
An official notice posted on the IVAC website stated: “In view of the on-going security situation, we wish to bring to your kind notice that IVAC Rajshahi and Khulna will be closed today (18.12.2025). All applicants who have appointment slots booked for submission today will be given a slot at a later date.”
Diplomatic Tensions in the Background
The closure comes amid rising diplomatic tensions between India and Bangladesh. Earlier, India summoned Bangladesh’s High Commissioner to New Delhi, Muhammad Riaz Hamidullah, to lodge a formal protest over recent threats directed at the Indian High Commission in Dhaka, as well as inflammatory anti-India remarks made by Bangladeshi political figures.
In a recent incident, a leader of Bangladesh’s National Citizen Party (NCP) reportedly threatened that Dhaka would “sever the seven sisters”, a reference to India’s northeastern states, from the rest of the country.
India Calls for Safety of Diplomatic Missions
Responding to the developments, India’s Ministry of External Affairs reiterated its expectations regarding diplomatic security.
“India has close and friendly relations with the people of Bangladesh rooted in the liberation struggle and strengthened through various developmental and people-to-people initiatives. We are in favour of peace and stability in Bangladesh and have consistently called for free, fair, inclusive and credible elections, conducted in a peaceful atmosphere. We expect the interim government to ensure the safety of missions and posts in Bangladesh in keeping with its diplomatic obligations,” the ministry said in a statement.
