“Constant danger”

India faces a “constant danger” on its eastern border, according to Border Security Force (BSF) Director General R. S. Mooshahary.

Contrary to popular belief, securities agencies are of the opinion that eastern border will give us more trouble in the days to come than other frontiers. Given to the porous nature of the border infiltration and smuggling were always on and now the problem has become more complicated with underground groups active in the North-Eastern region of the country setting up their camps in Bangladesh.

Warning signals came from BSF Director General R. S. Mooshahary. Observing that India faced a “constant danger” on its eastern border, the BSF Director General opined that the “problem” with Bangladesh was proving to be “much more difficult” and that the frontier with it would give more trouble in the long run.

“There is a constant danger on the Eastern border.... Problem with Bangladesh is proving to be much more difficult because of population. In the long term, the Bangladesh border is going to give us more trouble because of larger movement,” Mr. Mooshahary said

The BSF Director General lamented over the fact that infiltration and smuggling has not stopped although fencing of half of the 4095-km border had helped in checking it, he said and maintained that North East insurgents continue to operate 172 camps in Bangladesh and at least 307 of their cadres are still living in that country. On being asked about repeated provocative actions by Bangladesh Rifles (BDR), including killing of some BSF officers, he disagreed that the Indian border force was “soft” and said it had to behave “responsibly”.  “We cannot always work by eye-for-an-eye principle... They (BDR) will not repeat it. If they repeat, they know the consequences,” the BSF chief said referring to the killing of Assistant Commandant Jeevan Kumar this year.

Couple of days before Mr. Mooshahary made these remarks, Inspector General of Assam, Meghalaya, Manipur and Nagaland (AMM&N) Frontier A K Ghosh from the same organization claimed that 192 camps of various militant outfits of the North East existed in Bangladesh. “Some of the old camps were removed and some new camps have come up. Earlier, the number (of camps) was 205, now it is 192.” “These camps existed in Mymensingh, Sherpur, Rangamati, Molavi Bazar districts and Chittagong Hill Tracts,” he said.

The BSF is not willing to believe that reduction in number of camps is actually an indication of action taken by authorities in Dhaka as demanded by India. The BSF IG said that some old ones were removed indeed but some new ones have come up.

 Rejecting the claims of Bangladesh that there are no terrorist camps on it soil the IG said that for obvious reasons, no country would ever admit militants’ existence within its territory. He said India would keep on insisting to Bangladesh about the existence of camps and asking it to dismantle these —notwithstanding Dhaka’s denial. Earlier, Meghalaya Chief Minister D D Lapang also voiced concern over the existence of camps to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and urging him to take it up through diplomatic channels. ULFA leaders are running hotels and having bank accounts in Bangladesh, which became known last year, according to BSF. The BSF IG said Dhaka officials had indeed found those accounts but in ‘different names’. Before they could do anything, money was withdrawn from those accounts.

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