Tripura hotel, restaurant owners shut services for Bangladeshi visitors

Agartala/Silchar, Dec 3 (IANS) After a multi-speciality private hospital in Agartala, an apex body of the hotels and restaurant owners in Tripura has decided not to provide accommodation and services to the Bangladeshi nationals in protest against the atrocities on Hindus in the neighbouring country.

The leaders of the All Tripura Hotel and Restaurant Owners’ Association (ATHROA) in a meeting here on Monday night discussed the situation in Bangladesh and decided not to provide any accommodation to its nationals.

“We cannot remain silent over the atrocities on Hindus and damage to their properties in Bangladesh. After a detailed discussion of the situation in Bangladesh, we have decided not to provide any accommodation and services to the Bangladeshi nationals visiting the state,” ATHROA General Secretary Saikat Bandyopadhyay told the media on Tuesday.

Last week, one of the largest private healthcare facilities in Agartala decided to stop services for Bangladeshi patients following protests by some local activists over reported atrocities against minorities in Bangladesh and disrespect to the national flag.

Responding to the protests, the Chief Operating Officer of the private hospital, also announced the closure of the hospital’s Bangladesh desk. “As an Indian, I respect and support the sentiments raised by the protesters. Given the ongoing incidents in Bangladesh, we have decided to suspend services for Bangladeshi patients,” he had said, adding that the hospital had already seen a decline in the number of Bangladeshi patients since the unrest hit the neighbouring country.

The Agartala hospital’s decision follows a similar move by a private hospital in North Kolkata, which recently announced it would discontinue medical treatment to Bangladeshi patients over the same issue.

The protests of the activists come amidst growing concerns over the atrocities on Hindus and other minorities in Bangladesh and reports of disrespect toward India’s national symbols, which have stirred strong reactions in India.

Meanwhile, in the Sribhumi district (formerly Karimganj District) of southern Assam, at least 500 traders have announced that they would stop trade (both import and export) with Bangladesh due to the rising violence against minorities and disrespect for the Tricolour in the neighbouring country.

On Monday, the traders assembled at a river port close to Sribhumi town, where some of them set fire to Bangladeshi goods that had previously been shipped here.

The Karimganj District Export-Import Coordination Committee's Amaresh Roy stated that they oppose violence against Bangladesh's religious minorities, including Christians and Hindus. He said: “They continuously disparage India without cause, but most recently, we witnessed an insult to our national flag there; this is intolerable. The nation comes first for us, and we do not wish to carry on doing business with that kind of nation.”

According to Roy, the Sribhumi district is home to several trade unions, and the coordination committee serves as a forum for them all. “We have jointly taken the decision and the trade will be discontinued until the normalcy returns in Bangladesh,” he stated.