The Indian visa service for Bangladeshis has been suspended indefinitely and in the meantime the country has reviewed applications for certain categories of these visas.
In a report on Thursday (September 26) night, the Indian media The Hindu reported this information.
According to the report, even though the visa service for Bangladeshi citizens has been suspended indefinitely, India's Union Home Ministry reviewed more than 400 visa applications from Bangladesh in certain categories last August.
Bangladesh has witnessed massive political changes after Sheikh Hasina fled to India after resigning from the post of Prime Minister in the face of mass student protests.
For the last two months, Indian visa application centers in Bangladesh have been providing visa services to a limited number of students and patients wishing to travel to India for urgent medical treatment, The Hindu reported.
Basically, most foreign tourists visit India annually from Bangladesh. About 1.6 million Bangladeshi citizens were given visas last year, an official said.
An official of India's Home Ministry said 434 Prior Referral Check (PRC) cases of Bangladeshi nationals were cleared last August. In the same month, the number of such reviews in Pakistan was 878, the official said.
Basically PRC refers to a specific process where the applicant's background is checked by intelligence and security agencies before issuing a visa. However, the total number of visas issued during this period is not known.
India also grants visas to Bangladesh under 15 categories, including "Emergency Services".
According to the ministry, "issuance of visas to citizens of Bangladesh is governed by the revised travel arrangements signed between India and Bangladesh on January 28, 2013 and administrative instructions issued from time to time."
Diplomatic and official passport holders are allowed to stay up to 45 days without visa on reciprocal basis.
Countries like Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iraq and Sudan have been placed under Priority Reference Category (PRC) for issuing visas, while there are certain types of visas for certain countries like China and Bangladesh, which undergo additional security checks before being issued, The Hindu said.
Indian business visas for Chinese nationals are not under the priority reference category but additional verification is done for recruitment and conference visas. India provides visa on arrival facility for up to 60 days only to citizens of Japan, Republic of Korea and United Arab Emirates (UAE) for business, tourism, convention and medical purposes.
According to this Indian media, the Border Security Force (BSF) deployed along the Bangladesh border has been on high alert since August 5 and has received strict instructions from the government not to allow anyone to enter the country without valid documents or visas.