BDR delegation arrives in Meghalaya

Shillong, Aug 28: A ten-member delegation of Bangladesh Rifles (BDR) arrived here today to attend three-day annual border co-ordination committee conclave between the Border Security Force (BSF) and Bangladesh Rifles (BDR).

The BDR delegation, led Deputy Director General Brigadier General S.M.Golam Rabbani, will be camping at BSF's frontier headquarters here.

The Indian delegation will be headed by Inspector General BSF in-charge Tripura, Cachar and Mizoram frontier S.K.Dutta and assisted by IG BSF in-charge Asom, Meghalaya, Manipur and Nagaland J.

P.Sinha.

The three-day meeting will focus on a host of issues including deportation of Bangladesh-based ULFA General Secretary Anup Chetia to India.

'' We will urge the BDR to handover ULFA leader Anup Chetia and other insurgent leaders to India,'' Mr Sinha told here today.

Mr Sinha said the BSF would also handover a fresh list of 172 Indian insurgent camps in Bangladesh and ask the neighbouring country to dismantle them at the earliest.

Recent skirmishes at Zakiganj in Asom' Cachar-Karimganj sector is likely to come up for discussion between the two sides.

'' Under no circumstances, will we allow anyone to encroach inside our territory,'' Mr Sinha reiterated.

He said the BSF would request them (BDR) to strengthen their vigil along the international border to thwart cross-border crimes.

Mr Sinha said the meeting would also discuss issues related to installing of border fencing along the zero line, which was strongly objected by Dhaka, citing that New Delhi had also violated the Indira-Mujib pact.

UNI