The recent attacks on minorities in Bangladesh has led to a diplomatic row with India, the tremors of which are being felt in West Bengal. A city hospital said it would not treat patients from Bangladesh because of the “insults they have shown towards India”.
The decision by JN Ray Hospital in north Kolkata's Manicktala area comes amid protests over the alleged attacks on minority Hindus in Bangladesh. An official of the hospital, Subhranshu Bhakt, on Friday said “the decision was forced by insults meted out to the Indian flag by Bangladeshi nationals”.
"We have issued a notification that from today till an indefinite time we will not admit any Bangladeshi patient for treatment. This is primarily because of the insults they have shown towards India," he said. Bhakt also urged other hospitals in the city to follow suit as a mark of protest against the alleged atrocities on Hindus in Bangladesh.
"Seeing the tricolour being insulted, we have decided to stop treating Bangladeshis. India has played an important role in their independence but despite that, we are witnessing anti-India sentiments. We hope other hospitals will support us and take similar steps," he said.
Three Hindu temples in Chattogram, Bangladesh, vandalised
A mob vandalised three Hindu temples in Bangladesh's Chattogram, the epicentre of protests and violence since a former ISKCON member was booked under sedition charges.
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The Shantaneshwari Matri Temple, the nearby Shoni Temple, and the Shantaneshwari Kalibari Temple were targeted by the slogan-shouting mob in the afternoon, news portal BDNews24.com reported.
Tapan Das, a member of the Shantineshwari Main Temple management committee, told BDnews24.com: “A procession of hundreds arrived, and started shouting anti-Hindu and anti-ISKCON slogans. We did not obstruct the attackers. When the situation worsened, we called the army, who arrived quickly and helped restore order. All the temple gates were closed before noon. The miscreants arrived unprovoked and carried out the attack."
On October 30, a sedition case was filed against spiritual leader Chinmoy Krishna Das, a former member of International Society of Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) of Bangladesh, and 18 others, accusing them of disrespecting Bangladesh's national flag in Chattogram's New Market area during a rally of the Hindu community. Das was arrested in connection with a sedition case on Monday and denied bail on Tuesday.
Das's arrest triggered protests by Hindu community members in Bangladesh, including in the capital Dhaka and Chattogram.
New Delhi had expressed concern over the leader's arrest and denial of bail, and asked Bangladesh to ensure the safety of Hindus and other minorities. Bangladesh, on the other hand, expressed deep concern over the violent protest at the Deputy High Commission in Kolkata and urged New Delhi to ensure the safety of all its diplomatic missions in India.