Bangladesh unrest: India issues travel advisory for citizens

New Delhi: India on Sunday “strongly advised” its nationals against traveling to Bangladesh in the wake of the surge in violence in the neighbouring country.

New Delhi’s diplomatic and consular mission in Dhaka stated that Indian Visa Application Centres in Bangladesh would remain closed on Monday. India also asked its nationals in Bangladesh to exercise “extreme caution”.

India is cautiously and closely monitoring the situation in Bangladesh, where the demand for the resignation of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s government grew louder after fierce clashes between protesters and security personnel led to the death of nearly 100 people across the country on Sunday.

New Delhi refrained from officially commenting on the escalation of violence in Bangladesh, sticking to its stand that the protests against Sheikh Hasina’s Awami League government and the response by her regime was an internal affair of the neighbouring country.

Sources, however, told DH that New Delhi was worried about the spillover effect of the unrest in Bangladesh in India, particularly in the states having borders with the neighbouring country.

“In view of ongoing developments, Indian nationals are strongly advised against travelling to Bangladesh till further notice,” the Ministry of External Affairs stated in a travel advisory issued late on Sunday. “All Indian nationals presently in Bangladesh are advised to exercise extreme caution, restrict their movements and remain in contact with the High Commission of India in Dhaka through their emergency phone numbers.”

India’s assistant high commission in Sylhet in eastern Bangladesh also issued an advisory in the wake of the escalation of clashes between protesters and the security personnel. It asked Indians, including students, living in Sylhet and adjoining areas in Bangladesh to remain alert and keep in touch with its officials through helpline numbers.

In the wake of protests against reservation in government jobs and police crackdown in Bangladesh, the High Commission of India in Dhaka had earlier on July 18 issued an advisory, advising Indian nationals living in the neighbouring country to avoid local travel and to minimise movement outside the premises where they lived. Over 4,500 Indian nationals returned home with the assistance of diplomatic and consular missions of India in Bangladesh last month.