Border incidents straining relations
By Ashis Biswas
At a time when Indo-Bangladesh relations are improving, opposition leaders in Bangladesh, upstaged by the ruling Awami League (AL) continue to attack both governments for incidents occurring along the international border.
Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, acting Secretary General of the opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), has just pulled up the AL for discussing the deaths of Bangladeshis along the international border because of firing by the Border Security Force (BSF), with India. Dhaka-based media quoted him as saying that the country should not just talk with India, but take action to prevent what he called “the killing of Bangladeshis.” However, the BNP leader did not specify what kind of “action” he had in mind.
Officials based in Kolkata expressed surprise at his reaction. Only days ago, Union Home Minister P. Chidambaram assured visiting Bangladesh Home Minister advocate Ms Sahira Khatun in Delhi that India was trying to reduce the number of BSF firings and other action, to the extent possible in the near future. Already the situation in recent months had improved a great deal. Ms Khatun has requested the Indian government to ensure that such action could be brought down to “zero level”.
Recently, eight BSF personnel were suspended and now face court martial, for their torture of a Bangladeshi who had entered India illegally.
BSF sources had earlier pointed out that while it was highly desirable to bring down the level of violence along the border, both countries must also agree to ensure that illegal activities like infiltration, and smuggling also stopped. There was no disputing the fact that in recent years, more Bangladeshis were killed in firing by BSF personnel, than Indians by the Bangladesh Rifles (BDR) guards.
The reason was, while illegal infiltration from Bangladesh had come down in recent times, there were still some people who sought to enter India illegally. They did this not only for economic reasons, but some also became involved in terrorist activities in West Bengal, Assam and other parts of India. The corresponding illegal human traffic from India to Bangladesh hardly existed!
Observers also pointed to the fact that in early 2009, the serious incidents along the Indo-Bangladesh border in Goalpara district of Assam where 16 BSF guards were killed brutally by the BDR and some Bangladeshis because they have strayed outside Indian territory in the pursuit of criminals, had led to a worsening of the situation. The bodies of the slain BSF men were paraded in Bangladesh, before they were formally handed over. The number of Bangladeshi deaths along the border went up sharply after that, before several rounds of talks were held. The situation is much better now, say Indian officials.
At present, relations between the two countries have improved to a stage where Mr. Chidambaram has assured Ms Khatun that if two suspected killers of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the founder of Bangladesh had taken shelter in West Bengal, they would be definitely found and handed over to Dhaka, extradition treaty or not. In a similar vein, Ms Khatun said that Bangladesh would also hand over ULFA leader Anup Chetia who had been arrested by the AL administration, as early as possible.
The two countries are also in talks to finalise the question of Teesta river water sharing. Observers feel that the BNP, which has always been known for its pathological hatred and distrust of India and its equally passionate commitment to Pakistan, is only trying to do what it does best — whip up an anti-India campaign once more!