Bangladesh hands over nine rebels to Indian authorities

Agartala, May 24 (UNI) The Bangladesh authorities today handed over nine Indian militants to Indian authorities at Khowai checkpost in West Tripura district.

Official sources said here that the the Bangladesh Rifles nabbed the nine militants with two AK-47 rifles, one Chinese pistol and a few Chinese grenades in December, 2003, while they were trying to cross over the Indo-Bangla border from their hideout in that country.

The militants had reportedly fled from their base camp in Bangladesh with firearms and tried to sneak into Indian territory to surrender before the authorities.

'' But they were rounded up by the Bangladesh Rifles personnel at a place opposite to Khowai subdivision in West Tripura district.

They were then taken to Chunarughat police station in Habiganj district. A local court in Bangladesh sent them to jail on charge of infiltration and possession of firearms, '' the sources said.

On Sunday, Santi Debbarma, Nakshatra Debbarma, Tarun Debbarma, Somendra Debbarma, Sanjay Debbarma, Kamalbahadur Debbarma, Kshudiram Jamatia, Dhanulal Halam and Bikramsadhan Jamatia were released from Bangladesh jail and then once again handed over to BDR for pushback.

The Tripura government and other intelligence agencies had been claiming that the rebels belonging to both the NLFT and the ATTF were using Bangladesh as their safe haven. The Indian authorities had also furnished lists of more than 100 Indian rebel camps in Bangladesh. But the Bangladesh Government had been denying the charge.

'' The handover and the jail term of the armed Tripura militants in Bangladesh territory itself justifies our claim that the North East Indian insurgents have been using Bangladesh territory for carrying out clandestine activities in India, '' the sources added.

The nine militants had been taken to police custody for interrogation.

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