Offer 'pranam' to Indian flag: Bengal doctor's order to Bangladeshi patients amidst tensions
By Aishwarya Nair | First Published Dec 2, 2024, 10:29 AM ISTA doctor in Siliguri has instituted a policy requiring patients, especially those from Bangladesh, to offer "pranam" to the Indian national flag before entering his private clinic. This comes amid heightened tensions between India and Bangladesh, following allegations of Indian flag desecration and the arrest of Hindu monk Chinmoy Krishna Das in Dhaka.
Siliguri: At the entrance of a private doctor's practice in Siliguri, the Indian national flag is displayed alongside a printed message in Bengali. The message instructs all individuals, particularly "Bangladeshi patients," to pay respect to the flag ("pranam") before entering the office. This act comes amid ongoing protests in West Bengal related to claims of the Indian flag being desecrated in Bangladesh, as well as heightened tensions between the two nations following the arrest of Hindu monk Chinmoy Krishna Das in Dhaka.
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Recently, several doctors in West Bengal, along with a hospital in Kolkata, have declared that they will not provide treatment to patients from Bangladesh.
Sekhar Bandopadhyay, the doctor in Siliguri who insists that patients pay homage to the national flag before receiving treatment at his private practice said as quoted by The Indian Express, “It pained me to see that our national flag was disrespected and desecrated in Bangladesh. As a doctor, I do not want to refuse patients. But those who come to my country should respect our flag, our motherland. It seems Bangladesh has gone under the Talibani mindset.”
Bandopadhyay is a senior ENT specialist currently serving as the Special Medical Officer in the ENT department at North Bengal Medical College Hospital.
Message in Bengali reads, “Bharatborsher Jatiya Pataka Amader Matrisomo. Ayi Pataka Ke Pranam Kore Chamber e Prabesh Korben. Bisheshoto Bangladesh Theke Agoto Rogita Pranam Na Korle Ekhane Rogi Dekha Hobe Na”( “India’s national flag is like our mother. Please offer pranam to the flag before entering the chamber. Especially Bangladeshi patients—if they do not offer pranam, they will not be treated here.”)
In the past two days, 63 ISKCON monks with valid travel documents were denied entry into India at the Benapole border checkpoint and sent back to Bangladesh. Authorities cited "suspicious activities" as the reason for their refusal. The monks were stopped from crossing the border on Saturday evening and Sunday morning, as reported by the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) in Kolkata and several Bangladeshi media outlets. This incident comes amid increasing concerns about rising atrocities against minorities.
This incident comes amid increasing scrutiny of ISKCON in Bangladesh, particularly following the arrest of Hindu leader and ISKCON spokesperson Chinmoy Krishna Das on November 27 at Dhaka's Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport on sedition charges. Authorities accused Das and others of raising a saffron flag above the Bangladeshi national flag during a rally in Chattogram on October 25.
Das's arrest triggered protests among his supporters, escalating into violent clashes in Chattogram that resulted in the death of a lawyer. In response, Bangladeshi authorities froze the bank accounts of 17 individuals linked to ISKCON, including Das, for 30 days.
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