All trade activities through Zakiganj Customs Station in Sylhet were suspended on Monday due to protests by the Sanatani Oikya Mancha, a group based in Sreebhumi (Karimganj), Assam, India.
The demonstration resulted in trucks carrying Bangladeshi goods being turned back and Bangladeshi products burned by protesters.
Earlier in the day, around six tons of oranges were imported into Bangladesh from Sreebhumi via Zakiganj Customs Station.
Efforts by Bangladeshi customs officials to contact their counterparts at Sreebhumi Customs Station regarding the suspension were unsuccessful, as Indian officials did not respond to calls, according to a customs official in Zakiganj.
Jahangir Hossain, revenue officer at Zakiganj Customs Station, confirmed the halt in trade and said, "Protesters in Sreebhumi turned back trucks carrying goods imported under Bangladeshi LCs."
He noted that while no goods have been exported from Bangladesh to India via Zakiganj for a long time, certain items, including fruits, are imported. Meanwhile, goods from Bangladeshi companies such as Pran and Akij are regularly exported to India through Sheola (Sutarkandi) Land Port.
Sources on the Indian side revealed that earlier Monday, members of the Sanatani Oikya Mancha burned Bangladeshi products, including potatoes and cakes exported through the Sheola Land Port. The group has also announced a boycott of Bangladeshi goods.
