India to strengthen border security

PYRDIWAH, April 26: Union Minister of State for Home, ID Swami today said that India would take all measures to strengthen security of the Indo-Bangla border in the wake of the recent killing of 16 BSF jawans by Bangladesh Rifles, reports PTI. Addressing the villagers here, he said that the Central government had taken the incident very seriously and the people should not have any fear in residing here. The dispute over the land was a long pending one and it might take sometime to resolve it, he said adding that it was under the occupation of India since independence and would remain so until a decision was reached. He urged the people to maintain close relations with the BSF and be free and frank with them in approaching for any help. The villagers headmen, P Nongrum told Swami that villagers were not taken into confidence when border demarcation was done and they faced harassment unnecessarily. Nongrum urged Swami to include village elders when the Centre would take its next decision to settle the dispute so that they could have a sense of participation. The joint secretary, in-charge of the north eastern region, GK Pillai, who accompanied the Union Minister in his fact finding mission, visited every house of Pyrdiwah and listened their ordeal when BDR had attacked the village. Swami also held a meeting at the border outpost with Assistant Commandant, SS Rawat and took stock of the situation. Later, Swami left for Guwahati on way to New Delhi. Meanwhile, Bangladesh today claimed that India has sent troop reinforcements to some areas along its border, a charged denied by New Delhi. A Bangladeshi Home Ministry source confirmed local newspaper reports that tension had been mounting since India's Border Security Force (BSF) began amassing troops yesterday opposite Bangladesh's eastern Feni, Zakiganj and Lalmonirbat border points. A senior Indian BSF intelligence officer denied the reports. "We are not carrying out provocative patrols like Bangladesh. These are just routine deployments of troops on the border," said the officer, who asked not to be identified. "We are on maximum alert but our intentions are not to escalate tensions, only to meet any eventuality from the other side of the border," he added. The Bangladesh government has declined to make any formal comment on the reported renewed rise in tension that follows the death of 16 Indian and three Bangladeshi frontier guards last week in the worst border clashes between the two neighbours in 30 years.