Siliguri, Dec 23 (V7N) — Members of several Hindutva organizations vandalized the Bangladesh Visa Application Center in Siliguri, West Bengal, on Monday, diplomatic sources have confirmed.

According to the sources, activists belonging to the Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP), Hindu Jagaran Manch, and Siliguri Metropolitan organizations carried out the attack on December 22. Following the vandalism, protesters forced the visa center to shut down. Hindu leaders present at the scene reportedly warned that the center should not be reopened and issued threats while standing in front of the closed facility.

Diplomatic sources said the attackers claimed the vandalism was carried out in protest against alleged persecution of the Hindu community in Bangladesh.

Meanwhile, all consular services and visa operations at the Bangladesh Assistant High Commission in Agartala, Tripura, have been temporarily suspended. A senior official of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed on Monday evening that the suspension will remain in effect until further notice.

Earlier, visa services at the Bangladesh High Commission in New Delhi were also temporarily suspended due to security concerns. On Saturday night, December 20, a group of 20 to 25 members of the extremist organization Akhand Hindu Rashtra Sena staged a protest in front of the Bangladesh High Commission in Delhi. The group reportedly remained there for around 20 minutes, chanted anti-Bangladesh slogans, and issued threats against Bangladesh High Commissioner M Riaz Hamidullah.

Following the incident, Bangladesh’s Foreign Affairs Adviser stated that the High Commissioner’s family in Delhi has been feeling threatened and remains at risk.

In a separate development, several Hindutva organizations staged a protest in front of the Bangladesh Deputy High Commission in Kolkata on Monday. The protest was led by West Bengal opposition leader and BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari. In the afternoon, hundreds of protesters marched from the Bagbazar crossing toward the Deputy High Commission. However, Kolkata police stopped the procession approximately 200 meters away from the mission.

The incidents have raised serious concerns over the safety of Bangladeshi diplomatic missions and personnel in India, prompting heightened security measures and the temporary suspension of consular services at multiple locations.

END/WD/SMA/