Hasina Govt. to be blamed: Minister

NEW DELHI, MAY 7. The Minister of State for Home, Mr. I.D. Swami, today said the Bangladesh Government, not just the Bangladesh Rifles (BDR) chief, Mr. Fazlur Rahman, should be held responsible for last month's border incidents in which 16 Border Security Force soldiers were killed.

``We should always hold the Bangladesh Government responsible for what happened and not just the BDR chief,'' he told Mr. Karan Thapar on Line of fire programme to be telecast on Sab TV on Saturday.

To a question on the statement of the Bangladesh Foreign Secretary that the premier, Sheikh Hasina, had only voiced deep shock over the killing of BSF soldiers and mutilation of bodies, Mr. Swami said that during the 25-minute telephonic talk with the Prime Minister, Mr. Atal Behari Vajpayee, she had said ``sorry'' thrice and had given the assurance of a full-fledged inquiry and strong action against those found guilty.

The Haryana Vikas Party MP, Mr. Swaraj Kaushal, and the Congress leader, Mr. K. Natwar Singh, said there was ``gross'' intelligence failure and ``slackening of vigil'' on the part of Indiaalong the border area in Pyrdiwah in Meghalaya and in Assam.

- PTI

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