Indian officials not allowing Bangladeshi tourists to enter Meghalaya

Indian immigration officials have not allowed any Bangladeshi citizen entering their territory through the Dawki border of Meghalaya today.

Bangladeshi officials at Sylhet's Tamabil border said the Indian authorities' decision is prompted by the unrest in Meghalaya triggered by the controversial Citizenship Amendment Bill passed by the BJP government.

Ramzan Mia, a deputy inspector of Tamabil customs, said, "We allowed more than a hundred tourists through our border at 11 am today. But they came back after a while. They said Indian officials were not allowing them to enter the country."

"An Indian custom official later requested us to not let anybody go through the border today. He informed us that they are blocking Bangladeshi citizens because of the unrest in Meghalaya," he added.

Deklin Renza, an Indian customs official at the Dawki border, said, "All the hotels and shops in Shillong are closed due to the curfew declared after the unrest. We are blocking Bangladeshi tourists considering their safety. They will be allowed to visit after the situation improves."

The situation has posed trouble for the Bangladeshi tourists gathering at the Tamabil border to visit India.

"The Indian officials halted us at the Dawki border. Had they informed us about the problem earlier we would not have to suffer so much," said Saad Uddin, a tourist from Cumilla.