Immigration through Tamabil border suspended

Tamabil border. Photo: UNB
Tamabil border. Photo: UNB

Immigration through Tamabil customs station in Gowainghat upazila of Sylhet came to a sudden halt on Friday morning after a curfew was imposed in India’s Meghalaya state following escalation of tension there over the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, reports UNB.

Ramzan Mia, deputy police inspector of Tamabil Customs, said over 100 passengers entered India till 11:00am but all of them retuned after they were denied entrance to India by the Indian Customs.

After some time , an Indian Customs official came to Bangladesh Customs and informed them that they are not permitting anyone to enter India following unrest, said Ramzan adding that he requested them not to send any Bangladeshi to the Dawki Customs Office of India.

Usually, Bangladeshi people enter India through Tamabil border to visit Meghalaya state.

Earlier on Thursday, mobile internet and SMS services were blocked across Meghalaya for two days, and an indefinite curfew imposed in parts of capital city Shillong after unrest flared in the state on Thursday over the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill or CAB, according to a report of NDTV.

Bangladeshi tourists, who prepared for their tour to Meghalaya, faced trouble due to the sudden suspension of immigration through Tamabil.

Saad Uddin from Cumilla told UNB that he entered India’s Dawki through Tamabil border to visit Shillong on Friday morning with his wife and children but was sent back to Bangladesh.

Dawki Customs Officer Deklin Renza said they suspended passengers’ entry through the border considering their possible sufferings as all the hotels and shops have been shut in Shillong.

Bangladeshi tourists will be able to enter India when the situation gets normal, he added.