"Unstable Situation": Indian Visa Centres In Bangladesh Closed Indefinitely

All Indian visa application centres in Bangladesh will remain closed until further notice after unrest in the neighbouring country forced Sheikh Hasina to resign as Prime Minister and flee the country. The online portal to apply for Indian visa now has a message, "All IVACs will remain closed till further notice, due to unstable situation. Next application date will be informed through SMS & It is requested to pick up the passport on the next working day."

This comes a day after New Delhi evacuated non-essential staff and their families from its High Commission and consulates in Bangladesh amid the volatile situation in the country. Indian diplomats, however, remain in the country and the missions are functional, sources in the government have said.

India has a high commission in Bangladesh capital Dhaka and consulates in Chittagong, Rajshahi, Khulna and Sylhet.

Massive protests against the Sheikh Hasina-led Awami League government in Bangladesh have forced the 76-year-old leader to resign as Prime Minister and flee to India.

An interim government backed by the Army is in the process of being formed. Nobel peace prize winner and Grameen Bank founder Muhammad Yunus will lead the caretaker government.

Addressing the Parliament on the neighbourhood situation, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar has said that there are nearly 19,000 Indian nationals in Bangladesh of which 9,000 are students. Many of the students, he said, returned to India after the protests broke out. He has said the government is in close contact with the Indian community there. He has also said the government is monitoring the situation regarding minorities living in Bangladesh.