Traders shut land port gate protesting ‘harassment’

Traders yesterday noon stopped trading through Hili land port, protesting alleged harassment by law enforcers in the name of checking imported goods.
Senior traders of the district shut the gate of the port at around 2.30pm.
Sources said, the border guards at Panchbibi check post seized around 50 cartons of motorcycle parts on Thursday night which were imported from India through the Hili Land Port.
They claimed that the seized goods were brought to the country with the help of fake documents.
Later, the traders contacted with BGB officials with the documents. After rechecking the documents, BGB officials at Joypurhat-3 Battalion assured the traders of returning the seized goods, said the traders.
But the BGB members handed over the seized goods to Customs authority, they said.
Hearing the news, the traders, protesting the matter, shut the gate of the port, suspending the bilateral trades between India and Bangladesh through the land port at noon.
Contacted, Lt Col Sabbir Ali, Commanding Officer of Joypurhat-3 Battalion, confirmed that the seized goods were handed over to Customs authority.
"If the papers are found legal by the Customs authority, they will return the goods to respective trader", he said adding that he never assured the traders of returning the seized goods.