Tripura: Agartala hospital suspends services for Bangladeshi patients over attack on Hindu minorities

Agartala's ILS Hospital in Agartala has decided to suspend its services for Bangladeshi patients after a group of people staged a protest in front of the hospital this afternoon.  

Over 100 patients from various parts of Bangladesh travel to Agartala every month to avail treatment at ILS Hospital and the Cancer Hospital in the state.  

However, today's protests erupted over reports of attacks on the Hindu minority in Bangladesh and the alleged desecration of the Indian flag.  

One of the protestors said, “We all stand here united as Indians. The current situation in Bangladesh is deeply troubling. While the change in government there is an internal matter, attacks on our Hindu minority brethren and other such incidents cannot be ignored. Moreover, there have been instances of our national flag being desecrated, which we strongly condemn.”  

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The protestor further alleged, “Children in Bangladesh are being trained to show disrespect to our national flag. We condemn the slogans and statements by fundamentalists in Bangladesh. As a mark of protest, we approached the hospital authorities, and they have agreed to suspend services to Bangladeshi patients until the situation improves. We are not against any particular community or religion, but the current scenario demands this action.”  

Responding to the protests, ILS Hospital's CEO, Dr. Gautam Kundu, said, “As an Indian, I respect and support the sentiments and demands raised by the protestors. Several people approached me to express their concerns, and I have assured them that we will take appropriate action. Given the ongoing incidents in Bangladesh, including the disrespect shown towards our national flag, we have decided to suspend services for Bangladeshi patients. While the number of Bangladeshi patients had already decreased recently, we have now completely shut down our special desk for Bangladeshi patients.”