By IANS
Dhaka : Border security forces of India and Bangladesh have agreed to release on humanitarian grounds the people they have detained for crossing the border illegally as per the laws of the respective countries.
Meeting at Bogra in northern Bangladesh, officials of the Bangladesh Rifles (BDR) and India’s Border Security Force (BSF) exchanged lists of 1,626 and 1,000 names of criminals respectively.
Senior officers claimed to have reached a consensus on all the issues on the agenda regarding border problems and interests of both nations, The Daily Star reported Wednesday.
BSF Inspector General for North Bengal R.A. Tewari said: “We have agreed not to open fire on innocent Bangladeshi citizens, except in self-defence, along the border areas during daytime.”
Much of the illegal movement of people and smuggling of goods, however, takes place at night along a 4,300 km porous border that divides the two neighbours.
Asked if India provided any specific information in support of its allegations that Bangladesh harbours Indian separatists and terrorists, BDR Brigadier General M.A. Bari replied in the negative.
Both sides claimed that joint patrolling by the BDR and BSF has contributed to the decrease in intrusion, drug smuggling and other crimes.
Officials added that another high-level meeting between the border guards of the two countries would be held in mid-February at Shillong in India.