Dhaka, Delhi both deny charges of insurgency camps
Pallab Bhattacharya, New Delhi
While remaining stuck to their sharply divergent stands on existence of Indian insurgent camps in Bangladesh, illegal migration into India and border fencing, Delhi and Dhaka yesterday decided to evolve "coordinated patrolling" very soon to check illegal trans-border movement and crimes.At the end of BSF and BDR bi-annual Director General-level talks here, India and Bangladesh also decided to share information on insurgents and criminals if any serious crime is committed on each other's land. Responding to BDR Director General Maj Gen Jahangir Alam Chowdhury's request to crack down against alleged anti-Bangladeshi operatives in India, BSF Director General Ajai Raj Sharma said "sincere efforts" were made to verify the list of 79 camps given to him by Chowdhury but "there is no veracity in the claim." "Similar is the position with regard to the list of 344 Bangladeshi criminals furnished to him by BDR DG," Sharma said. For his part, Chowdhury denied the existence of the camps or presence of northeastern Indian insurgents and handed over a list of 90 camps which he charged were being run by anti-Bangladesh elements in Indian territory. The Indian side conveyed its concern over smuggling of arms for insurgent groups and counterfeit Indian currency besides cattle-lifting. Sharma, who signed the 'Joint Record of Discussion' with Chowdhury, handed over a fresh list of 195 camps run by North East insurgents in Bangladesh and sought their closure along with deportation of 126 insurgents based there. Sharma denied the allegation that BSF was pushing in Bangla-speaking Indians into Bangladesh and said "on the contrary millions of Bangladeshis were staying in India illegally." "Due to India being a democrtic country with the presence of a free press, an independent judiciary, a slew of human rights bodies and a host of NGOs to keep a close watch on the working of the government machinery, the matter of pushing Bangla-speaking Indian nationals into Bangladesh is unthinkable," the BSF DG said. Responding to Chowdhury's request to keep Tin Bigha corridor open round the clock as against existing practice of 12 hours in day time, Sharma said he had asked local BSF commanders to provide passage at any time, even at night, to address emergency cases. The two countries have already reached an agreement at home secretary-level to undertake 'coordinated patrolling' onthe border and the BSF-BDR meet discussed modalities involved in it, Sharma, flanked by Chowdhury, told reporters after their talks. "We hope to start it very soon," he said but made it clear there was no time-frame for this.
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