‘We only want treatment’: Catholics caught in Bangladesh-India visa crisis

A Bangladeshi border post in Bagha, Rajshahi district, near the India-Bangladesh border on June 13, 2021. | Credit: Dewan Tirtho / Wikimedia (CC BY-SA 4.0) Jan 17, 2026 / 08:00 am (CNA). For decades, India was the most affordable and trusted destination for Bangladeshis seeking medical treatment abroad. Among them were thousands of Catholics who relied on Indian hospitals — many run by Christian institutions — for lifesaving care. But following political unrest in Bangladesh in July–August 2024 and the…