Jewellers samity calls off strike

Staff Correspondent: Bangladesh Jewellers Samity (BJS), a platform of jewellery shop owners, has withdrawn the indefinite strike which was called for protesting harassment by VAT officials in the midst of a customs probe into Apan Jewellers.

BJS General Secretary Dilip Kumar Agarwal confirmed the matter to risingbd.com around 10:15pm on Thursday.

They have decided to call off the strike after getting assurance from Md Nojibur Rahman, chairman of the National Board of Revenue (NBR).

The NBR chairman assured that they will no longer carry out any raid at jewellery showrooms.

Earlier, Bangladesh Jewellers Samity called the indefinite strike alleging harassment by VAT officials in the midst of a customs probe into Apan Jewellers.

The BJS made the decision at a meeting in its Baitul Mukarram office on Thursday afternoon protesting a raid by the VAT officials at a jewellery showroom in the capital.

VAT officials raid Amin Jewellers at New Market area in the capital around 4-5 pm on Thursday. Later, they detained its manager and took him with them. They also took away the documents of Amin Jewellers.

They called the strike across the country protesting this.

They demanded that the National Board of Revenue stop harassing them with raids and urged the government to draft a business-friendly import policy.

Earlier, after the arrest of Safat Ahmed, the main accused in Banani rape case, the news of his father Apan Jewellers' owner Dildar Ahmed’s 'Dirty Money' was published.

In connection with it, the Customs officials seized nearly 13 maunds of gold and 61 gram diamonds from the stores of Apan Jewellers in Mouchak, Uttara, Jigatala and Gulshan DCC market following a drive. Apan Jewellers' authority could not show any legal documents of the seized gold and diamond.

risingbd/DHAKA/May 18, 2017/Hasan/Amirul