Following reports of purported anti-Indian attitudes and abuse of Hindus in Bangladesh, tensions between India and Bangladesh have increased to the point where several Indian hospitals have suspended treatment for patients from Bangladesh. The private multispecialty medical Centre ILS Hospital in Agartala, Tripura, is one such hospital that declared on Saturday that it would no longer accept patients from Bangladesh. Following demonstrations by a local organization that called for the suspension of services to Bangladeshi nationals due to alleged abuse of Hindus in Bangladesh and perceived disdain for India and its national symbols, notably the Indian flag, the decision was made.
“The hospital fully supports the demand to stop treatment for Bangladeshi nationals,” said Gautam Hazarika, the facility’s chief operating officer. Additionally, the hospital shut down its help desks inside the building and at the Akhaura checkpoint. Growing discontent with anti-Indian activities, such as attacks on Hindu minorities in Bangladesh and contempt for the Indian tricolor, prompted this decision.
ILS Hospital’s action comes after JN Ray Hospital in Kolkata made a similar choice. JN Ray Hospital, which is situated in Kolkata’s Manicktala neighborhood, also announced on Friday that it will permanently halt providing care to Bangladeshi patients. The hospital’s decision was made in reaction to repeated insults to India, including disrespect for the Indian national flag, according to hospital official Subhranshu Bhakt. Bhakt said the decision was a form of protest against the alleged oppression of minorities in Bangladesh, especially the Hindu minority, and he expressed solidarity with the protesters.
The main points of contention in the protests have been that fundamentalist forces in Bangladesh are promoting disrespect for national symbols and that Bangladeshi civilians have denigrated the Indian flag. Such acts were reprehensible, according to one demonstrator, especially since they taught pupils to denigrate India’s national symbols. The demonstrators have called on all Indian institutions to stop treating Bangladeshi patients, as these hospitals have done.
Bhakt also said that, despite India’s pivotal role in Bangladesh’s independence, he was disappointed by the growing anti-Indian sentiment in Bangladesh. He encouraged other medical facilities to support their cause and join the initiative.
Following the arrest of an Iskcon leader in Chattogram, Bangladesh, on charges of sedition and allegations of attacks on Hindu temples in the nation, tensions between India and Bangladesh have increased. The diplomatic and social ties between the two neighboring countries have been even more strained as a result of these events.
SOURCE :
TIMES OF INDIA
