Guwahati, Dec 2 (NationPress) In the Sribhumi district of Assam, more than 500 traders have declared that they will stop all import and export activities with Bangladesh due to escalating violence against minorities and the disrespect displayed towards the Tricolor in the adjacent country.

The traders gathered at a river port near Sribhumi town on Monday, where some participants burned Bangladeshi products that had been delivered earlier.

Amaresh Roy, from the Karimganj District Export-Import Coordination Committee, expressed their condemnation of violence against religious minorities in Bangladesh, including Christians and Hindus.

He stated: “They continuously disparage India without justification, and most recently, we observed an insult to our national flag there; this is unacceptable. Our nation comes first, and we do not wish to engage in business with such a country.”

Roy noted that the Sribhumi district hosts numerous trade unions, and the coordination committee acts as a collective platform for them.

“We have made this decision collectively, and trade will be halted until normalcy returns to Bangladesh,” he asserted.

There are 13 land ports and four water ports in northeastern India, including those in Bangladesh and Sribhumi. The busiest land ports include Sutarkandi in Sribhumi, Dawki in Meghalaya, and Akhaura in Tripura.

Key exports from the northeast include coal, stone, limestone, ginger, onion, rice, dry chilli, and fruits. Imports from Bangladesh comprise wooden furniture, plastics, cement, GI sheets, waste cotton, iron rods, fish, pickles, soft drinks, biscuits, among others.

Roy indicated that following the outbreak of widespread violence in Bangladesh on August 5, trade was suspended for roughly two months.

“Most traders in Bangladesh were in hiding for political reasons, and the country's major banks declined to issue Letters of Credit (LC). However, trade resumed in October,” he added.

Large protests against violence targeting Hindus in Bangladesh took place in the Barak Valley region of Assam, which includes the districts of Cachar, Hailakandi, and Sribhumi. The protests intensified following the arrest of Chinmoy Krishna Das from Iskcon last week.

Local MLA from the Sribhumi district, Kamalakhya Dey Purkayastha, joined the traders in declaring that they would not permit any trade with Bangladesh until the violence against Hindu minorities ceased.

In a letter addressed to District Commissioner Pradeep Kumar Dwivedi, he wrote, “Due to the overwhelming sentiment in Sribhumi District regarding the arrest of Chinmoy Krishna Das and the targeting of the Hindu religious minority community, I request that you halt all export and import activities with Bangladesh via the Sutarkandi Border and Sribhumi Steamerghat through the river route until the situation normalizes in Bangladesh.”

However, Dwivedi emphasized that the government has not issued any directive to cease trade with Bangladesh and will not intervene unless such orders are given.

“These transactions occur between private entities, and independent businesses are free to decide with whom they wish to engage in trade. We have no authority in this matter. There is no official embargo on imports; all I can state is that no order has been issued by the appropriate authorities,” he stated.