Bangladesh suspends visa and consular service in Agartala

Agartala: The Assistant High Commission (AHC) of Bangladesh in Agartala Tuesday suspended visa and consular service for an indefinite period citing security risk as Indian authorities arrested seven persons for vandalism and suspended four cops.This decision, taken at the behest of the Bangladesh external affairs ministry, came into effect immediately, said first secretary in the AHC, Md Al Amin.Sources said the decision on temporary closure of the AHC office of Bangladesh could be lifted once the situation in Agartala improves.However, the city continued to witness protests on Tuesday as former Union MoS Pratima Bhowmik led a march demanding immediate release of ISKCON priest Chinmoy Krishna Das and an end to alleged atrocities on minorities in Bangladesh.The SP (West Tripura) Dr Kiran Kumar said the group wanted to protest at the Agartala-Akhaura Integrated check post but they were denied permission.Referring to Monday's incident in AHC premise, the SP said seven persons were arrested and presented in court for police remand."Investigations are ongoing, and CCTV footage is being reviewed to identify others involved in the breach," he said.The state government also suspended assistant commandant of Secretariat Security Force (SSF) Kanti Nath Ghosh and three sub-inspectors, identified as Dilu Jamatia, Joynal Hossain and Debabrata Sinha for dereliction of duty.A probe is also underway to check the role of security officers posted for maintaining peace during a rally and security arrangements in place.According to police, 13 people from different parts of the state have so far been identified from the footage showing a mob breaking the main gate of the premise and vandalizing the area in the presence of a sizable number of security personnel."We have alerted all the police stations across the state against the identified accused as they not only broke the law but also acted against the principle of diplomatic stature, which evoked a serious reaction. The MEA had to regret the incident. However, we shall not allow anybody to escape punishment," said a senior official of the state home department.Security has been tightened around the Bangladesh Assistant High Commission in Agartala and the govt put restrictions on protests regarding Bangladesh and cops asked to handle all protests with an iron hand.CM Dr Manik Saha condemned the incident, urging for restraint in protests."Some individuals resorted to unacceptable actions by attempting to forcibly enter the Assistant High Commission's premises. Such behaviour is strongly condemned. Peaceful demonstrations are part of democracy, but unlawful activities will not be tolerated," he said.