Stir at BIA over assault on customs agent

Additional Commissioner (Customs) P Suresh Kumar allegedly manhandled Nawaz, an employee of Jeena and Company, for not displaying his ID card on Thursday evening. Nawaz claimed that he had completed his day’s work and removed the ID card to go to the washroom.

“On noticing me without the ID card, ADC assaulted me till I started bleeding in my nose,” he said. Nawaz, undergoing treatment at the Devanahalli Government Hospital, still has trouble breathing and talking.

One of the protesting CHAs told Deccan Herald that the CHAs fear that their permit cards would be confiscated by the customs department.

Commissioner of Customs B Bhattacharya said that a CHA must always possess his access control card without which he is considered to be a trespasser.

He also said the photograph in Nawaz’s card was smudged. When the City is on high alert in the wake of a blast at Varanasi, the customs department cannot take any chances, he said.

Bhattacharya said the demand by the CHAs’ Union for transfer of the ADC will be considered after a discussion with the chief commissioner. However, the CHAs will compensate for the Friday’s loss by working even on second Saturday, he added.