Trade activities at the Petrapole land port in North 24-Parganas continued largely uninterrupted on Monday, despite a dawn-to-dusk suspension call issued by a coalition of monks and religious organisations linked to Sangh Parivar.
The protest was against alleged atrocities against minorities, particularly Hindus, in Bangladesh. However, trade was halted briefly in the afternoon, coinciding with a visit by Opposition leader Suvendu Adhikari to the Land Ports Authority of India (LPAI) office at Petrapole after leading a rally without party insignia.
Traders and clearing agents attributed the afternoon disruption to a “link failure,” citing technical issues with Internet connectivity rather than political motives.
Last week, the Akhil Bharatiya Sant Samity and other groups, including the Matua community, announced the protest rally demanding a halt to bilateral trade through Petrapole. This was triggered by reports of escalated violence against Hindus in Bangladesh, especially following the arrest of a Hindu monk in Chittagong.
At the rally, Adhikari declared the day’s events a “success”, claiming that trade was entirely suspended as part of a larger plan to pressure Bangladesh to address the
alleged atrocities.
“As I said, trade was stopped from the morning at Petrapole. This was just a trailer. If the atrocities on Hindus are not stopped, we will halt the export of essentials like potatoes and onions to Bangladesh,” he said.
However, insiders in the BJP and the trading community at Petrapole dismissed Adhikari’s claims as misleading. Trade data from Monday showed otherwise, with normal activities reported until the “link failure” occurred in the afternoon, shortly after Adhikari’s visit.
Many associated with export and import, however, termed link failure as quite “mysterious”.
Kartick Chakraborty, secretary of the Petrapole Clearing Agents Staff Welfare Association, said: “Trade continued unhindered until around 3pm. By then, 190 export-bound trucks had crossed into Bangladesh, while 165 import vehicles entered India.”
Chakraborty attributed the overall dip in trade volumes to Bangladesh’s ongoing dollar crisis, which has created challenges in sustaining cross-border transactions.
Petrapole, a vital trade gateway, handles over 60 regularly exported items to Bangladesh, including agricultural goods and textiles. Despite political instability, communal tensions, and economic challenges, bilateral trade has persisted, underlining the importance of mutual economic interests.
Long queues were observed at immigration counters at Petrapole on Monday as Bangladeshi nationals rushed to cross the border amid fears of a prolonged embargo.
On Monday, protests were also witnessed at Changrabandha, a popular entry point to Bangladesh located in Cooch Behar district. Around 700 people assembled at Changrabandha under the banner of Sanatani Aikya Mancha and organised a rally.
The rally was stopped by police midway. The protesters burnt an effigy of Muhammad Yunus.
