The Hindu : International / India & World : India denies charges of BSF push-in attempts

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, Oct 31, 2004

International

International - India & World

India denies charges of BSF push-in attempts

By Haroon Habib

DHAKA, OCT. 30. India has said the Bangladesh media's reports on the Border Security Force's (BSF) attempts to push-in "Bengali-speaking Indian Muslims" into Bangladesh are incorrect and baseless.

`Does not exist'

An Indian High Commission press release here asserted that no such "push-in" has ever been made by the BSF. "The question of forcing Indian citizens into the territory of any other nation by any Indian authority does not arise," it said. The High Commission further said the BSF had neither in the past, nor recently forced any Indian citizen into Bangladesh. "Therefore, there is no question of taking any measures to put an end to a phenomenon that does not exist," it said.

The Indian reaction came two days after Bangladesh sent an aide-memoire to New Delhi, expressing concern over the push-in bid by the BSF.

The High Commission said reports accusing the BSF of such acts have been investigated and found to be "entirely incorrect and baseless." It added: "In fact, the Bangladesh Rifles (BDR) has informed the BSF that their personnel fired approximately 340 rounds from about one km inside Bangladeshi territory in Rangpur sector. Some of these bullets strayed into Indian territory. The BSF, however, has shown the utmost restraint and not fired even a single round."

`Malicious, motivated'

The Indian High Commission release said the BSF had in fact proposed to the BDR that if any persons were stranded on the border for some reason, the nationality of such persons could be jointly verified at border meetings. The BDR, however, refused to accept this proposal. The allegation of gang-rape by the BSF and the Indian police that have appeared in certain Bangladeshi newspapers are also rejected as being malicious, motivated and entirely untrue in the release. It said: Peaceful management of the border is important for maintenance of cordial relations between India and Bangladesh.

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