Akhtari could not pay the fee despite applying online at the Indian Visa Application Centre, or IVAC, in Rajshahi. In addition, with only five visa application centres operating at a limited capacity, many applicants struggle to secure appointments to submit their applications. The Indian visa application centres were shut down on Jul 18 after a curfew was imposed during the violence surrounding the protests. On Aug 16, Indian foreign ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said only emergency and medical visas would be issued until the situation normalised. On Sept 3, 13 out of 16 visa application centres reopened solely to return passports.
