A group of hotel owners in West Bengal’s Siliguri has decided to stop providing accommodation to Bangladeshi citizens in view of the unrest in the country, PTI reported on Friday.
A notice issued by the Greater Siliguri Hoteliers Welfare Association said that the decision was linked to provocative statements allegedly made by a section of Bangladeshi citizens and alleged disrespect towards the Indian national flag.
The decision was aimed at ensuring the safety and well-being of guests and hotel staff members, the association was quoted as saying by the news agency.
Ujjwal Ghosh, the joint secretary of the association, said that the decision was an extension of a ban that was first imposed in December 2024, The Telegraph reported.
“In December 2024, our members had stopped providing accommodation to Bangladeshi citizens,” Ghosh said. “However, on humanitarian grounds, exceptions were made for students and patients visiting India on student and medical visas, respectively.”
Ghosh told The Telegraph that the association has now decided to ban all Bangladeshis from its hotels because of the violence in the country and the “anti-India rhetoric” being spread there. He said that the association has 180 hotels in and around Siliguri, all of which are strictly following the ban.
The association said that the ban will be reviewed from time to time, with the "possibility of reinstating accommodation facilities once conditions are deemed safe and respectful”, PTI reported.
Siliguri, located close to the border with Bangladesh, is an important entry point for Bangladeshi citizens who travel to India on tourist, medical and student visas.
Since December 18, Bangladesh has been rocked by unrest that was sparked by the death of activist Sharif Osman Hadi, a prominent leader in the 2024 student protest that led to the ouster of the former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina-led government.
Hadi was shot on December 12 in Dhaka and died on December 18 at a mosque in Singapore.
His death triggered protests, vandalism and attacks across Bangladesh, including stone-throwing at the residence of the Assistant Indian High Commissioner in Chittagong on December 18.
Further, the killing of a Hindu man named Dipu Chandra Das in Bangladesh after a mob accused him of blasphemy sparked protests in India.
These developments have led to a strain in India-Bangladesh ties, which had already been tense since Muhammad Yunus took over as the country’s interim leader on August 8, 2024 – three days after Hasina was ousted from power.
Bangladesh has been demanding that India extradite Hasina after a tribunal in that country sentenced her to death for alleged crimes against humanity. Bangladesh’s International Crimes Tribunal held Hasina guilty of having ordered a deadly crackdown on the protests against her government.
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