NEW DLHI: The All Tripura Hotel & Restaurant Owners’ Association (ATHROA) said it has decided to stop serving guests from Bangladesh, citing the disrespect shown towards the Indian flag and alleged atrocities against minority Hindus in the country.
The decision was finalised during an emergency meeting held on Monday, according to the ATHROA general secretary Saikat Bandyopadhyay.
“We are a secular country and have respect for all religions. Our national flag has been desecrated and minorities are facing oppression by a section of fundamentalists in Bangladesh. Earlier too such incidents used to take place but now it has crossed the limit,” he said.
“The prevailing situation in Bangladesh is really worrisome. We serve the people who are coming to Tripura for various purposes. We condemn the treatment meted out to minorities in Bangladesh,” he added.
Earlier, a hospital in Tripura announced that it will no longer provide medical services to patients from Bangladesh. The ILS Hospital, a private multi-speciality centre in Agartala, made this announcement following demonstrations by a local organisation requesting the discontinuation of services to Bangladesh nationals.
The hospital’s chief operating officer, Gautam Hazarika, said, “We extend full support to the demand of suspending treatment for Bangladeshi nationals at our health facility. Our help desks at Akhaura check post and ILS Hospital have been closed down from today onwards.”
This follows a similar decision by JN Ray Hospital in Kolkata’s Manicktala area, which on Friday stated it would indefinitely suspend treatment for Bangladeshi patients.
“We cannot ignore the repeated insults towards India, including disrespect shown to the tricolour. This decision is a mark of protest against the mistreatment of minorities in Bangladesh,” a hospital official Subhranshu Bhakt told news agency PTI.
