The Hotel Owners Association of India's north-eastern state of Tripura has decided not to rent a hotel room to any Bangladeshi tourist. Even Bangladeshis will not be given food in any restaurant. They said that this decision was taken in protest against the desecration of the Indian national flag and the torture of minority Hindus in Bangladesh.
All Tripura Hotel and Restaurant Owners Association announced this decision through a press release on Monday.
According to the press release, in Bangladesh, the Indian national flag has recently been desecrated and the minority Hindus are being brutalized by a group of extremists. It used to be, but not like now. The current situation is very worrying. In our state, we give guest honor to citizens coming from Bangladesh for various reasons. There, such behavior of a class of citizens of Bangladesh towards the minorities of that country is condemnable. In this context, All Tripura Hotel and Restaurant Owners Association has decided to temporarily not provide any services to Bangladeshi nationals arriving in our state from December 2.
Saikat Banerjee, general secretary of the association said, 'India is a secular country. We have respect for all religions. But our national flag has been insulted and minorities are being persecuted in Bangladesh.'
He also said that only those who were already in the hotel will be allowed to stay. No one will be allowed to stay again. Apart from this, stickers will be placed in front of hotels and restaurants where it will be written – 'Bangladeshis will not be allowed to enter.'
Earlier, members of an organization called Hindu Sanchash Samiti attacked the Bangladesh Assistant High Commission in Agartala, Tripura. They lowered the flag of Bangladesh there and set it on fire. Later, the Indian Ministry of External Affairs issued a statement calling the incident 'sad'. Meanwhile, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Bangladesh said in a statement that Bangladesh is 'deeply angry' at this incident.
Earlier it was announced that Bangladeshi patients will not be treated in hospitals and chambers from West Bengal in India. JN Roy Hospital in Kolkata was the first and ILS Hospital in Agartala in Tripura was the last to announce it.
Then a doctor from Siliguri in West Bengal said that he would treat Bangladeshi patients. But before that one has to bow to the Indian flag and enter his chamber.
Another doctor named Chandranath Adhikari told Indian Express that he works in a government hospital. Treat everyone there. But don't see any Bangladeshi patient in your private chamber.
However, the West Bengal Medical Council (WBMC) did not support the ban on providing medical services to Bangladeshi patients. President of WBMC Dr. Sudipta Roy said, they do not discriminate between patients. Treat everyone.
The arrest of Sammilita Sanatani Jagran Jot leader Chinmoy Krishna Das at Dhaka airport last Monday and the death of a lawyer in violence in Chittagong following his production in court the following day have created tension between the two countries. Both countries have accused each other of desecrating the national flag.
Since the fall of Sheikh Hasina's government in a mass coup on August 5 and her departure to India, the relationship between the two countries has been increasingly complicated. India has temporarily stopped issuing visas to Bangladeshis. Since then, the number of Bangladeshi patients and tourists in the country has been decreasing.
