Sunday, September 18 2005 12:03 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

New Delhi: The dispute over border fencing and existence of terror infrastructure in Bangladesh are expected to dominate the Director General-level talks between Border Security Force (BSF) and Bangladesh Rifles (BDR) beginning here on September 26, 2006.

At the six-day bi-annual meeting, the issue of killing of BSF officer allegedly by BDR personnel in Tripura in April will also be raised by the Indian side which will seek an account of action taken in the matter.

"BSF will raise the issue of fencing which is being opposed by BDR in certain areas where India proposes to erect the barricade within the 150 yards (about 200 metres) of the zero line," sources in the border force told PTI here today (Sept 18, 2005).

Bangladesh argues that erection of the fence within 150 yards of the zero line violates the 1975 Boundary Agreement between the two countries, which stipulates that no barricade can be set up by either country within this distance of the border.

Rejecting Bangladesh's contention, India insists that in certain areas along the 4095-km long border, the fence had to be erected within the 150-yard strip because of topographical and technical reasons.

"There are many areas where terrain does not permit erection of the fence at the distance of 150 yards from zero line. So at such places, we have to go closer to the zero line, of course within our territory," the BSF sources said.

New Delhi maintains that fencing of the border with Bangladesh was immensely important to check illegal influx of people from that country and cross-frontier crimes like abductions and smuggling.

BSF will also seek to know what action has been taken against the BDR personnel who killed its Assistant Commandant Jeevan Kumar and injured two jawans at Lankamura in Tripura in April when they tried to rescue an abducted villager.

Kumar had rushed to the zero line with two armed jawans to establish contact with BDR after a villager Ramdhan Pal was kidnapped by the Bangladeshi border guards in plain clothes.

"But in an act of deception, some BDR personnel dragged him inside Bangladesh soil and killed him in the name of exchange of fire," the sources said, adding, Kumar was killed apparently because he was an honest officer who resisted infiltration and smuggling in the area.

India took a strong view of the incident and the matter was taken up with Bangladesh at a very high level.

Dhaka had assured action.

BSF will also seek to press BDR to make 'serious and sincere' efforts to check illegal migration of Bangladeshis, which continues despite repeated denials by Dhaka, the sources said.

BDR will also be asked to take action against camps of North East insurgents existing in Bangladesh with BSF handing over their latest list with exact locations.

The Indian side will also demand hand-over of prominent insurgent leaders, at present in Bangladesh.