India suspends air and rail travel with Bangladesh

06.08.2024 09:21

Photo: Debajyoti Chakraborty / NurPhoto via Getty Images

India is bracing for possible fallout from Bangladesh, where mass student protests over discriminatory job quotas have forced the prime minister to resign and flee the country.

Indian Railways announced on Monday that it was suspending cross-border travel with its eastern neighbor. The decision affects the Maitree Express and the Bandhan Express, two major services connecting the two nations.

Indian airlines, including flag carrier Air India and low-coster IndiGo, have canceled flights to and from the Bangladeshi capital Dhaka.

The Border Security Force is beefing up its presence on the Indian side of the 4,000km-long line separating the countries. Acting Director General Daljit Singh Chaudhary and his senior staff have departed to Kolkata, the state capital of West Bengal, which accounts for over half the length of the Bangladesh border. They will be directing the Indian response to the crisis from there, the agency has said.

Police in New Delhi have braced for possible incidents around the High Commission of Bangladesh, the country’s embassy in India. There were concerns that the building, located in the diplomatic district of Chanakyapuri, could be targeted after former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina traveled to India on Monday.

The Indian government has urged people to take stock of the situation when making plans. The Foreign Ministry issued a notice on Monday advising Indian nationals against traveling to Bangladesh until further notice. Those already in the country should “exercise extreme caution, restrict their movements, and remain in contact” with Indian diplomats, the warning said.

The turmoil has affected some Indian businesses. For example, the Life Insurance Corporation (LIC), which is the largest firm of its kind in India, said its offices in Bangladesh would remain closed at least until Wednesday as a precaution.

Clashes on Sunday were among the deadliest since protests erupted last month, with over 90 people estimated killed based on reports by police, officials, and medics. The violence has claimed some 300 lives so far.