US advises citizens to reconsider travelling to Bangladesh amid civil unrest, terrorism risks

"Reconsider travel to Bangladesh due to civil unrest, crime, and terrorism. Some areas have increased risk," the Department said in its travel advisory.

The US also issued 'Level 4: Do Not Travel' advisory for the Chittagong Hill Tract area due to fear of communal violence, crime, terrorism, kidnapping, and other security risks.

Alerting US citizens, the State Department said they are reminded to avoid all gatherings, even peaceful ones, since they could turn violent with little or no warning.

"Due to the risks, U.S. government employees working in Bangladesh are prohibited from non-essential travel within Dhaka outside of the diplomatic enclave," the advisory said.

"Due to the risks, U.S. government employees working in Bangladesh must obtain special authorization to travel outside of Dhaka. Authorization is not required for travel to Cox’s Bazar or Sylhet," the advisory said.

The advisory warned further that the U.S. government may have limited ability to provide emergency services to U.S. citizens in Bangladesh, particularly outside of Dhaka, due to these travel restrictions, a lack of infrastructure, and limited host government emergency response resources.

Sheikh Hasina's Exit

Bangladesh saw violent protests last year over the job quota issue, which led to the downfall of the former PM Sheikh Hasina-led regime on August 5, 2024.

Following her exit, Muhammad Yunus, a Nobel laureate, took charge of the interim government of the country.

However, there has been a rise in attacks on Hindu and other minority community members in the politically unstable nation since Hasina's exit.

Hindu Man Killed

The US issued the advisory at a time when a Hindu man, a prominent local community leader, was allegedly abducted and beaten to death in Bangladesh's Dinajpur region, media reports said.

The deceased person was identified as Bhabesh Chandra Roy (58).

Police recovered his body on Thursday night.

His wife, Shantana Roy, told The Daily Star that Bhabesh was at home in the afternoon when he received a phone call around 4:30pm.

She claimed the perpetrators made the call to confirm his presence at home.

She said four men arrived at the scene 30 minutes later on two motorcycles and abducted him.

Witnesses told The Daily Star that they saw the men take him to Narabari village, where he was brutally assaulted.

Abdus Sabur, officer-in-charge of Biral Police Station, told the newspaper preparations were underway to file a case.

He said the police are trying to catch those behind the attack.