India and Bangladesh have begun steps to mend relations after a period of sharp tension following the 2024 ouster of Bangladesh’s prime minister, Sheikh Hasina, who fled to India amid violent protests. The most visible sign of rapprochement is the reopening of visa channels: Bangladeshi diplomatic missions across India will fully resume tourist visa services, while India is restoring visa operations in Bangladesh in phases. The Indian High Commission is currently issuing medical visas and double-entry business visas, with full restoration across tourist, student and employment categories expected in the coming weeks.
Why visas were suspended
Visa services were disrupted amid repeated flare-ups of unrest and security concerns. Bangladesh froze Indian tourist visas in December 2025 after violent protests outside Bangladeshi missions in New Delhi and other Indian cities, which followed the lynching of a Hindu man in Bangladesh that sparked outrage. Officials said the freeze was driven by security considerations ahead of Bangladesh’s February general election; during that period only business and employment visas were processed. India had earlier curtailed most visa services in Bangladesh in late 2024 after unrest following Hasina’s ouster, and closed visa centres in Dhaka and Chittagong in late 2025 for similar security reasons.
A cautious recalibration
Tensions eased after Bangladesh elected a new government in February and Prime Minister Tarique Rahman signalled a desire to reset relations with India. Observers stress that reopening visas is an early, pragmatic step in a longer process of rebuilding trust rather than a final settlement.
Avinash Paliwal, an international relations specialist at SOAS, says both countries appear to be seeking a recalibration of ties, but major issues — including river water sharing, the political status of the Awami League, trade imbalances and border management — still need substantive negotiation to determine whether a genuine reset is underway. He notes the new governments in Dhaka and New Delhi now have political space to manoeuvre toward better relations.
Practical measures and remaining obstacles
Former Indian high commissioner to Bangladesh Pinak Ranjan Chakravarty describes the visa moves as people-centric and likely to help thousands who travel for medical treatment. He points to other confidence-building measures under way or planned: restarting bus and passenger train services to restore connectivity, reducing some non-tariff barriers to bolster trade, and reviving projects that were put on hold. Bilateral talks and project reviews could also address water-sharing, illegal migration, minority treatment, security, counter-terrorism and border management; officials use more than 60 bilateral mechanisms to engage on these issues.
Public perceptions will be the hardest challenge. In Bangladesh many still view India as closely aligned with Hasina’s Awami League; Hasina was sentenced to death in November 2025 and remains in exile in India, a source of continued tension after Dhaka protested public remarks she made in January. In India, public concern centers on the treatment of the Hindu minority in Bangladesh and anxiety about the country’s domestic political direction.
Sreeradha Datta of the Jindal School of International Affairs calls the visa reopening a useful first step that can build goodwill, but she cautions that Bangladesh’s leadership must persuade sceptical sections of society that closer cooperation with India serves national interests. Both sides, she says, should proceed without haste while remaining attentive to each other’s needs and expectations.
The resumption of visa services signals political intent on both sides to repair ties and restore people-to-people contact. Still, experts stress this is the beginning of a trust-building exercise that will require sustained diplomacy and progress on longstanding disputes before a full reset can be declared.