The movement of trucks carrying merchandise to Bangladesh was hindered at the Ghojadanaga and Petrapole land ports in North 24-Parganas on Wednesday morning, following road blockades by members of the so-called Sanatani platforms, who were demonstrating against the murder of Dipu Chandra Das in Bangladesh.
Members of an outfit, which identified itself as “Sanatani Jatiotabadi Mancha”, blocked the Old Satkhira Road for nearly two hours beginning 10am.
The 5km Old Satkhira Road is the key corridor for trucks headed to the international border checkpost in Ghojadanga, about 110km north of Calcutta. The blockade stranded nearly 100 trucks.
Slogans decrying “jihadis” and in support of “Bharat Mata” and Lord Ram filled the air as demonstrators continued their protests, holding saffron and national flags.
Some of the participants said the day’s show, to protest Das’s murder, was aimed at sending a message to Bangladesh that, if needed, export of goods to Bangladesh will be halted if Hindus continued to be attacked.
Das was lynched in Mymensingh, Bangladesh, and his body was hanged and set ablaze in public view. The brutality of the attack triggered widespread protests among Hindus across the border and panic among Hindus in Bangladesh.
“The protesters squatted on the road in front of a BSF camp and close to 100 trucks, on their way to Bangladesh through Ghojadanga, were stranded,” said Kanti Dutta, member of Ghojadanga Clearing and Forwarding Agents Association.
Ghojadanga is one of the important and active land ports for trade with Bangladesh in Bengal.
A section of the clearing and forwarding agents said the checkpost facilitates the export and import of various commodities like cotton, onions, fruits, spices, jute bags, and cloth scraps.
Close to 200 trucks cross over to Bangladesh, and around 7 trucks reach India almost every day, they said.
Protests against Das’s lynching in Ghojadanga echoed in the Petrapole integrated checkpost, located almost 70km away along the international border between Bangladesh and India in North 24-Parganas, disrupting the movement of trucks through that corridor.
“Members of Sanatani Aikya Parishad held protests near the integrated checkpost in Petrapole for some time on Wednesday morning, protesting Das’s lynching,” said Kartick Chakraborty, secretary of Clearing and Forwarding Agents Staff Welfare Association in Bongaon.
Several hundred supporters carrying saffron and national flags walked down the road leading to the integrated checkpost in Petrapole, shouting Hindutva slogans and demanding justice for Das.
“There could be more such protest rallies in the days ahead, and the necessary arrangements have been made so that truck movement to the checkpost is not disrupted,” a senior officer of the Bongaon police district said.