Indian visa centres in Bangladesh closed till further notice; Muhammad Yunus to be sworn in today to lead interim govt

Amid the unrest in Bangladesh, which led to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina resigning and fleeing to India, all Indian visa application centres in Bangladesh have been closed until further notice.

The online portal to apply for Indian visa now has a message, which reads: “All IVACs will remain closed till further notice, due to the unstable situation. Next application date will be informed through SMS & It is requested to pick up the passport on the next working day.”

This update arrives a day after India evacuated non-essential staff and their families from its High Commission and consulates in Bangladesh. However, Indian diplomats are still in the neighbouring country, with missions still operating, according to government sources. India has a High Commission in Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh, and consulates in Chittagong, Rajshahi, Khulna and Sylhet.

EAM. S. Jaishankar, discussing the situation in the Parliament on Tuesday, 6 August, said there are about 19,000 Indian nationals in Bangladesh—including 9,000 students, despite many returning to India after the protests began. He assured that the government is in close contact with the Indian community and is also monitoring the situation of minorities living there.

As of Tuesday, the death toll in the anti-government protests rose to 440, with 100 more deaths reported after Sheikh Hasina fled the country, according to local media. The army is trying to control the situation in the violence-hit nation. However, in Dhaka, things were mostly calm on Tuesday, with public transport running and schools and shops open.

An interim government supported by the Army is being set up in Bangladesh. Nobel Peace Prize winner and Grameen Bank founder Muhammad Yunus will lead this caretaker government. He will be sworn in as the leader on Thursday. On Wednesday, the United States expressed confidence that Yunus's interim government will bring long-term peace and political stability to Bangladesh.
"We think the interim government will play a vital role in establishing long-term peace and political stability in Bangladesh," US State Department spokesperson David Miller said that the US is ready to work with Bangladesh.

To contextualise the overall situation, the protests in Bangladesh initially started because of a controversial quota system in government jobs. However, they quickly turned into a country-wide movement of sorts against the Awami League government, after Prime Minister Hasina's 'razakar' comments and the harsh police response. The initial protests calmed down after the Supreme Court reduced the quotas, but unrest resumed as many students demanded Hasina's resignation.

SEE ALSO:
Bangladesh protests: Mob continues to kill, arson, vandalise and storm jails even after PM Hasina resignation