Bangladesh gives India bashing a new twist by alleging Indian involvement in the series of blasts that rocked the country in August.

SAYING goodbye to all established diplomatic norms, Bangladesh Rifles Director General Major General Jehangir Alam Choudhury has alleged that India was involved in the series of blasts that rocked the country on August 13 last. Major General Choudhury made this allegation while jointly addressing media persons with his Indian counterpart at the end of three-day India-Bangladesh Border Coordinator Conference.

Allegations and counter allegations are nothing new in BSF-BDR meet. For years, India is virtually pleading with its neighbour to take tough action against the insurgent groups using Bangla soil. But on every occasion Bangladesh Government denied the presence of any underground groups on its   soil, notwithstanding the fact that even US State Department’s of terrorist organizations confirmed India’s claims.

This time too, India raised the issue and Bangladesh gave the same reply. In response to Indian charges, Major General Choudhury once again stated that not a single insurgent or criminal operated from Bangladesh. “We have checked up and we have not found any insurgent camps. Bangladesh will not allow insurgents to operate out of its soil,” he asserted. At this point, India had to politely remind the BDR delegation that ULFA has been declared as a terrorist organisation by the US State Department in 2003.

Major General Choudhury lost his cool perhaps for being at the receiving end throughout the meeting with India invoking the US report. Using the opportunity, India has handed over a list of 172 insurgent camps and 307 insurgents operating from Bangladesh. The Indian delegation  claimed to have strong evidences that leaders of ULFA like Arabinda Rajkhowa, Paresh Baruah, Ranjan Daimari of NDFB, Jeevan Sinha of KLO, Nayanbasi Jamatia of NLFT and Ranjit Debbarma of ATTF were staying in Bangladesh. The insurgent leaders should be arrested and handed over to India including Anup Chetia of ULFA whose jail term has expired, India demanded.

While  Major General Choudhury alleged that “people have gone from neighbouring country to engineer the blasts,” India responded by saying that that among the 50 suspects picked up by Bangla authorities in the aftermath of the 417 blasts there was one Indian criminal Giasuddin cropped up and it was later found that he belonged to India, However, he has been living in Bangladesh for the last 17 years and had married a local girl there.

On the issue of infiltration, the BSF DG expressed concern and charged BDR of encouraging illegal immigration. “The BDR also helps in the illegal migration, at times pushing them into India,” he alleged. The BSF asked BDR to take action against the touts, whose names has been passed over. But BDR has denied the charges and alleged that BSF has killed 32 Bangladesh nationals.

India has also expressed its concern over smuggling of huge quantity of sophisticated arms and ammunition into the North-Eastern region from Bangladesh. A number of Indian insurgents surrendered and captured with sophisticated weapons brought by them from Bangladesh bears testimony to this, India stressed. The BSF has also brought it to the notice of Bangladesh that the country is being used for proliferation of counterfeit Indian currency. Instances of big seizure of fake Indian counterfeit currency notes.

Bangladesh has declined to  clear the voyage of BSF watercraft through the country. The two forces also could not agree on the border fencing project.  

Amidst such discords, the silver lining is that both the countries have agreed to further intensify coordinated patrolling along the international border by the two border guarding forces. The BSF and BDR have also agreed to start joint retreat ceremony at Petrapole in West Bengal and at Akaura in Tripura in the near future. The two forces would share their training facilities, more exchanges in games and sports.

From the outcome of the meet it is clear that the present day rulers of Bangladesh has no political will to fight against the terrorism.

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