Madrassas along Indo-Bangla border worries BSF

Silchar, July 5: BSF Inspector General (IG) of Asom, Meghalaya, Nagaland and Mizoram and Cachar Frontiers P K Mishra has said that the force was trying to keep a watch on madrassas coming up near the border areas in Karimganj and Dhubri in Asom.

Addressing a press conference yesterday at Mashimpur, Mr Mishra said the BSF had also asked the local police to keep a watch on these suspected madrassas.

''Fundamentalist groups are active in the areas across the international border, which might turn out to be a security threat to India,'' said the IG.

On ISI's 'bid' to use those madrassas, Mr Mishra said as these were educational institutions, one can not jump to a conclusion without any proof.

According to the IG, cattle smuggling from India to Bangladesh had gone up, particularly through Karimganj and Mankachar corridors, in Asom.

The price of cattle being double in the Bangladeshi market compared to India, the smugglers prefer to go on with the illegal trade, he said.

The BSF would find it convenient to prevent such smuggling when the border is covered by fencing, he said.

He said infiltration from across the border had marginally come down over the past one year.

''The BSF has been waiting for action to be taken by BDR in response to the list of 172 camps of Indian militant outfits in Bangladesh. The list was submitted to BDR officials in the recent couple of meetings held at Dhaka and Chittagong,'' the IG said.

He proposed more friendly football matches between the BSF and the BDR to create a friendly atmosphere between the two countries.

The IG said the BSF had procured modern gadgets, including Battle Field Surveillance Radars (BFSR), which was able to survey from a distance of 15 km at night.

UNI

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