Shillong, March 20: The customs and central excise department appears to be in no mood to entertain requests by trade lobbies in Dhaka and Sylhet to reconsider its decision to suspend operations along the export routes in the Northeast.
As many as 13 land customs stations in Assam, Meghalaya and Tripura were closed down following the abduction of customs inspector Dipak Mahanta and six traders by militants of the National Democratic Front of Boroland (NDFB) and the People’s Liberation Front of Meghalaya.
Representatives of the Northeast Customs and Central Excise Federation said land customs stations in West Bengal were likely to stop functioning for some time to force Bangladesh to review its stand on cross-border militancy.
The deadline set by Mahanta’s captors for payment of ransom ended today. Worried colleagues held telephonic discussions with senior customs officials in West Bengal and New Delhi throughout the day, while the All-India Federation of Central Excise Executive Officers met in Nagpur to find a way out of the crisis.
In New Delhi, members of the Central Excise and Customs Board met finance minister Jaswant Singh to discuss the issue.
There were indications that the zonal customs office in West Bengal would be persuaded to suspend its operations within the next 24 hours.
Mahanta and the six traders were abducted by a group of 20 militants from Ghasuapara in the Garo Hills on February 28. A self-styled captain of the NDFB, who identified himself as Daimalu Boro, asked for the ransom of Rs 30 lakh for the customs official “to be paid in Dhaka”.
The second round of negotiations between a delegation of traders and NDFB leaders in Dhaka last evening failed to break the deadlock.
Another delegation had met the NDFB “captain” there on March 7.
Importers based in Sylhet have reportedly volunteered to negotiate with the militants to get the seven hostages freed. Sources in the Bangladesh port town said the importers contacted R.C. Agarwal, president of the Northeast Federation of International Trade, and assured him of a breakthrough soon.
Agarwal is a member of Doshi Exports and Tourism, for whom the six abducted traders were reportedly working.
Commissioner of customs Donald Ingty said nobody from the NDFB had contacted him or any other official since Saturday. “The only call was on March 15, when they demanded Rs 30 lakh. We have no more information.”
Meghalaya home minister Robert G. Lyngdoh today informed the Assembly that the state government had requested deputy Prime Minister L.K. Advani to increase the BSF’s presence along the Indo-Bangladesh border and ensure that the land customs stations start functioning again.
Lyngdoh said the militants intended to abduct Vijay Doshi, a coal merchant, but whisked away Mahanta when they could not find him.
The six traders who were abducted along with the customs official are Udayan Majumdar, Madanlal Saini, Mohanlal Saini, Lokikant Sharma, Trilom Choudhury and Turin Paul.