India on Thursday shut down two Indian Visa Application Centres (IVACs) in Rajshahi and Khulna citing the ongoing security situation in Bangladesh. The decision was announced through an official notice issued on the IVAC website.
The notification 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.’ The notice did not specify how long the centres would remain closed.
Diplomatic tensions behind the move
The closure comes amid rising diplomatic tensions between India and Bangladesh. Recently, India summoned Bangladesh’s High Commissioner in New Delhi, Muhammad Riaz Hamidullah, to lodge a formal diplomatic protest. The protest followed threats to the Indian High Commission in Dhaka and inflammatory anti-India statements made by Bangladeshi political leaders.
In one recent instance, a leader of Bangladesh’s National Citizen Party (NCP) reportedly threatened that Dhaka would ‘sever the seven sisters’, a term used to describe India’s northeastern states. Reacting to the developments, India’s Ministry of External Affairs reiterated its stand on maintaining stability in the neighbouring country.
The ministry said: ‘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.’
Earlier, Bangladesh had summoned Indian envoy Pranay Verma over former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s ‘incendiary’ statements from Indian soil. India responded by asserting that it has never allowed its territory to be used for activities inimical to the interests of Bangladesh.
Relations between the two countries have remained strained since the interim government led by Muhammad Yunus came to power, with India also raising concerns over attacks on minorities, especially Hindus, in Bangladesh.
