The Directorate of National Consumer Rights Protection (DNCRP) has suspended the sale of holy water of Mecca's Zamzam Well in the capital's Baitul Mukarram market.
At the same time, a special drive is underway to find out if the holy water is being sold elsewhere in the country, DNCRP Director General AHM Shafiquzzaman said during a view exchange meeting at the head office on Monday.
Before taking any further decision, the Islamic Foundation has been asked to verify whether it is even officially permitted to sell this water accordance with Islam, he added.
Shafiquzzaman said the temporary ban also encompasses any scope of online sales as well.
He said, "It is a sensitive matter. After we were notified of the issue, we decided to hold an urgent meeting. Then we decided to ban the sale of Zamzam water in Baitul Mukarram market temporarily, because we never heard of Zamzam water being sold in Saudi Arabia.
"What's most worrisome is if the Saudi government comes to know about this, it may give rise to a negative perception towards our country. Saudi Arabia may revoke permission to bring zamzam water to Bangladesh indefinitely."
Abdul Jabbar Mandal, assistant director of DNCRP, said that during a raid in Baitul Mukarram market, small bottles of Zamzam water were found being sold at Tk300, while 5 litre bottles were being sold at Tk2,500.
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