Kolkata’s JN Ray Hospital has refused to treat Bangladeshi patients for an indefinite period after the arrest of priest Chinmoy Das and incidents of violence against Hindus in the neighbouring country.
This decision came after incidents were reported where Bangladeshi nationals allegedly insulted the Indian national flag.
Following the incident, JN Ray Hospital, which is located in Kolkata's Manicktala area, on Friday issued a statement terming the incidents as ‘insults towards India.’
Urging other hospitals in India to follow JN Ray Hospital's footsteps, an official named Subhranshu Bhakt said, “From today, we will not admit any Bangladeshi patient. This is a protest against the atrocities on minorities in Bangladesh and the disrespect shown to our tricolour."
Temples attacked in Bangladesh’s Chattogram
Cases of a series of attacks on Hindu temples were reported from Bangladesh’s Chattogram. A violent mob reportedly vandalised three temples, including Shantaneshwari Matri Temple, Shoni Temple, and Shantaneshwari Kalibari Temple. All these temples were located in the city’s Harish Chandra Munsef Lane area.
A permanent member of the Shantineshwari Main Temple management committee, Tapan Das, said, “A procession of hundreds arrived after Juma prayers, shouting anti-Hindu and anti-ISKCON slogans. We called the Army when the situation worsened, and order was eventually restored."
The mob charged at the places of worship at around 2:30 PM on Friday and threw bricks as several hundred people shouted slogans, as per a report of Bangladeshi news portal BDNews24.com. Confirming the assault, Kotwali Police Station chief Abdul Karim confirmed said that tensions ran high while the damage was minimal.
Root cause of the outrage
The outrage was in response to arrest of former member of ISKCON Chinmoy Krishna Das, who was apprehended on sedition charges on Monday. The spiritual leader was denied of bail on Tuesday. Earlier, sedition case was filed against Chinmoy Krishna Das and others accusing them of disrespecting Bangladesh's national flag in Chattogram's New Market area during a rally of the Hindu community.
