Indian authorities have stopped passenger travel from Bangladesh through Benapole land port on a travel visa for three days.
India's West Bengal’s Lok Sabha elections is scheduled to be held on May 20. This decision has been taken to keep the law and order situation normal in the election.
The immigration authorities of India have banned the entry of passengers holding travel visa passports from Saturday morning till the evening of May 20, the election day.
However, patients with Bangladeshi passports can enter India on medical visas for emergency treatment.
The Petrapole Immigration Authority of India issued a letter of instruction in this regard to the Benapole checkpost immigration authorities on Friday.
Meanwhile, the Benapole-Petrapole port authorities have stopped import-export trade at the ports of the two countries due to the Sharsha Upazila Parishad elections in Jessore, India's Lok Sabha polls in West Bengal, and Buddha Purnima.
Benapole Immigration Police Inspector Omar Faruq Majumder said: “Due to the West Bengal’s Lok Sabha elections in India, passenger travel from Bangladesh with travel visa (tourist visa) passport holders will be stopped from today (Saturday) morning to Monday evening. However, medical visa passengers and their accompanying medical attendants can travel and Indian passport passengers who are staying in Bangladesh can return to India.”
He said that from the morning of May 21, all types of visa-holding passport passengers will be able to travel normally between the two countries.
