Dhaka: India today (Oct 31, 2004) termed as "baseless" and incorrect" reports that its border force was trying to push in Bengali-speaking Indian Muslims into Bangladesh and said peaceful management of the border is important for maintaining cordial relations between the two countries.

"The question of forcing Indian citizens into the territory of any other nation by any Indian authority does not arise," the Indian High Commission said in a statement in Dhaka.

"The BSF (Border Security Force) has neither in the past and nor recently forced any Indians into Bangladesh. Therefore, there is no question of taking any measures to put an end to a phenomenon that does not exist," it said.

Reports of BSF "push-in" bids have been investigated and found to be "entirely incorrect and baseless," the statement said adding BSF had proposed to its counterpart BDR (Bangladesh Rifles) for a joint verification of such people, but it refused.

Stressing that the peaceful management of the border is important for maintaining cordial relations between India and Bangladesh, it said, "Better and effective guarding of the border is necessary to prevent trafficking and cross-border movement without proper and legal documents."

"India has always made every effort to maintain peace on the border and implement the letter and spirit of the agreed 1991 guidelines for border management," it said.