The New Nation - Internet Edition

Staff Reporter

At least 59 Bangladeshi and Indian nationals have been killed while trying to cross the international border between the two countries illegally in the last six months.

Ashish Kumar Mitra, Director General of Indian Border Security Force (BSF), said the dead included 34 Bangladeshis and 21 Indians, while the others could not be identified.

India has imposed a night curfew along its border with Bangladesh and built barbed-wire fences on 46 different places to stop movement of smugglers and illegal immigrants.

"The night curfew is enforced in our territory along the border, so anyone crossing into India from Bangladesh may risk his life," Mitra told a news conference following a half-yearly meeting yesterday with his Bangladesh counterpart at the BDR Headquarters at Pheelkhana in the city.

Meanwhile, Bangladesh and India yesterday promised to work for an improved relationship between the border guards of the two neighbouring countries, burying some bitter disputes of recent times.

"It has been a fruitful discussion," Maj Gen Shakil Ahmed, Director General of Bangladesh Rifles (BDR), told the briefing at the end of a four-day border conference that began on Thursday in the city.

The BDR Chief's Indian counterpart, AK Mitra, was also happy at the outcome of the talks encompassing intrusion, cross-border trade in contrabands and insurgency, border skirmish, frontier fencing and so on. "This meeting will certainly improve better understanding, as we have discussed some very contemporary and contentious issues," Mitra said at the news briefing at the BDR Headquarters.

Maj Gen Shakil led a 22-member team while the BSF Chief headed a 19-member delegation to the meeting.

As the two nations share a porous border of more than 4,000 kilometers, small skirmishes are common and India often trades blames on Bangladesh for border tensions over smuggling.

Bangladesh, meanwhile, blames India for opening fire at innocent Bangladeshis and unprovoked attack on BDR patrols. The DG-level meeting took place after a recent border clash that left two BDR jawans dead while the BSF officials crossed the dividing line into Bangladesh.

Terming it an "individual aberration", the BSF chief regretted the incident and said they discussed the issue during the talks.

He said it would require an inquiry into the matter to know what prompted such an incident, but whatever the case, it should not have happened.

"It was an individual aberration, not an organisational attempt. It is highly regrettable," Mitra said.

Both the officials said the issues of border firing, transborder crimes, smuggling, border fencing came up for discussion.

A list of 263 persons wanted by India has been handed over to the Bangladesh while another list of 1,464 Bangladeshis given to India, they said about what appears to be a regular swap on such occasions.

About the Indian claim that Bangladesh shelters Indian insurgents, the BDR chief, referring to the discussion details, said: "We don't shelter any insurgent in Bangladesh."

About some ULFA leaders, including Poresh Barua, who are in jail in Bangladesh, the BDR DG said the matter of handing them over to India was out of his agency's mandate.

"We will examine the list and give it to the Home Ministry," he said, replying to a query.

About Bangladesh's list to India, Mitra said they would give the list to the Indian police for further action.

About the much-disputed border fencing by India, Mitra said of some 4,000-kilometer-long border, India is fencing off some 3,200

kilometers as the rest is straddled by rivers and forests.

He said fencing has been completed along some 2,000 kilometers of border while 900 to 1,000 kilometers remained open.

The BSF chief said there are some disputed areas along the 900 kilometers of unfenced border.

"We have identified some 46 spots and handed over a list to the BDR for its position on that," he said.

In response, the BDR chief said they would examine the 46 spots, and if justified, they would send it to the Home Ministry for further action.

Replying to a query if transborder crimes and firing along the border have dropped because of the border fencing, Mitra said over last six months firing along the border dropped by about 30 per cent along the fenced border while casualties also subsided substantially.

Along some 200 kilometers of border where floodlights have been installed crimes have dropped significantly, Mitra said.