Jaswant hopes Dhaka will act against killers

By Our Special Correspondent

NEW DELHI, APRIL. 23. The Vajpayee Government today came under fire in Parliament for the brutal killing of 16 BSF personnel by the Bangladesh Rifles (BDR) and incidents on the Indo-Bangla border last week. The Centre defended its handling of the crisis, but the Opposition and even NDA allies, such as the Shiv Sena and the Telugu Desam Party, charged that it was a result of intelligence failure.

Members in both the Houses expressed anguish and outrage over the inhuman manner in which the soldiers were tortured, with the Government asserting that India would ``not accept lightly defilement of men in uniform''.

Irrespective of party affiliations, members in the Rajya Sabha were strident in their criticism with many likening the situation to the Kargil conflict. The former Union Minister, Mr. Ram Jethmalani (Independent), went to the extent of demanding the resignation of the Prime Minister in case he failed to find fault with his Ministers.

After a day-long discussion in the Upper House, responding to sentiments such as Mr. Sanjay Nirupam's (Shiv Sena) demand for stronger retaliatory action, the External Affairs Minister, Mr. Jaswant Singh, asserted: ``There is no way India will accept the defilement of uniform.'' He said ``New Delhi's deep sense of hurt and anguish'' was already conveyed to Dhaka which was ``deeply saddened and concerned by these incidents''.

He denied charges of intelligence failure stating that the terrain was such that any movement was visible to the normal eye. He said by activating all available security and diplomatic mechanisms, New Delhi was able to get Pyrdiwah vacated by BDR ``without a shot being fired''.

At Boraibari, the 16-strong BSF team was on ``aggressive patrolling'' following an alert sounded by the Home Ministry after the Pyrdiwah incident. The team occupied a Bangladesh Rifles (BDR) observation post but was later outnumbered by a large group of civilians and some BDR men who surrounded and disarmed them. Suggestions that New Delhi was unaware about the capture of 16 BSF jawans were ``unfounded'', Mr. Singh said, adding that the Home Ministry had acted with ``alacrity''. The situation, he said, could not be compared to Kargil which was ``an aggression against India''.

In his statement, Mr. Singh reiterated that ``criminal adventurism'' should not affect the strong ties of friendship between India and Bangladesh and it was up to the Government there to act against the perpetrators of these crimes and restore confidence and trust. He said a strong protest was lodged with Bangladesh over the treatment meted out to the BSF personnel. ``We have been assured by the Bangladesh Government that all aspects of these incidents would be investigated, also that the BDR action was taken without their knowledge and was regrettable.''

The Minister turned down suggestions from members, including Mr. Jethmalani, for taking the killings to the Rome-based International Criminal Justice Court, to which New Delhi does not subscribe, or refer it to International Human Rights Commission, as suggested by Mr. R.S. Gavai (RPI).

Earlier, in the Lok Sabha, the Leader of the Opposition, Ms. Sonia Gandhi, said the External Affairs Minister's statement had allayed some doubts but not all; and hoped that at a later date the Government would take the House into confidence whether on there was an intelligence failure or slackness. She also hoped Bangladesh would bring to book those behind the gruesome killings of jawans.

Ms. Gandhi said the killings had shaken the country and should be condemned. The Samajwadi Party president, Mr. Mulayam Singh Yadav, was for amicable relations with Bangladesh but not at the cost of bodies of Indian soldiers.

BDR build-up along border

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