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'Migrants not pushed into Bangladesh'

Indore Feb. 1. The Director General of the Border Security Force, Ajay Raj Sharma, today rejected charges that Bangladeshi migrants were being pushed into Bangladesh side of the border.

He said that whenever police took action against them, the migrants were taken to the borders and then the BSF handed them over to Bangladesh as per the established practice.

Referring to the border fencing issue, Mr. Sharma, talking to reporters at Reoti range, said the area under Punjab and Rajasthan was already being fenced by the BSF. In Jammu segment, which is 186 km., nearly 53-54 km would be completed by March this year.

On the issue of withdrawing the BSF from Kashmir, Mr. Sharma said the decision was taken as per the recommendations of Border Management Committee constituted after the Kargil war. It was decided that the BSF should concentrate on protecting borders only and not on domestic duties such as internal security or counter insurgency. ``But, so far no final decision has been taken in this regard and even at present it is deployed in Anantnag and Srinagar,'' he said.

He said that smuggling from across the border has decreased in recent years. The BSF has embarked upon a modernisation drive with a fund of Rs. 2,300 crores allocated by the Government for the next five years to upgrade its weapons and communication system, he said. — PTI

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