Dhaka rejects Delhi’s curfew suggestion

Dhaka rejects Delhi’s curfew suggestion

Bangladesh has rejected India’s suggestion to impose night curfew along its areas very close to the border to check illegal cross-border movement.The rejection came during a four-day director general-level talks between Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) and Indian Border Security Force (BSF) that ended on Monday, our New Delhi correspondent reported.

“We don’t believe in curfew. Every citizen of country has equal right to movement within the boundary of the country. We don’t believe in imposing restrictions on movement of our people,” BGB chief Maj Gen Anwar Hussain said at a joint media interaction after the meeting.

“However, we have to sensitise our people to respect the border and not to cross the border without documents,” he added.

The two forces agreed to implement a three-pronged initiative to reduce incidents of border firing to the minimum level possible.

“Both sides agreed for additional vigilance particularly in the areas earmarked sensitive Border Outposts and examine other possible measures that could be taken to restrict movement of smugglers and drug traffickers in bordering areas during hours of darkness,” reads a joint press statement issued after the meeting.

Addressing the joint media interaction with his counterpart, BSF DG UK Bansal said: “We have decided to take further measures to minimise the use of lethal weapons, and we shall avoid at all costs use of lethal force against unarmed people and those inadvertently crossing the border.”

Detailing the three-pronged initiative, Hussain said additional security forces would be deployed by the two sides at several “vulnerable patches” along the porous border, people residing in border areas will be sensitised against illegal cross-border movement, and information would be shared real-time by BGB and BSF on movement of smugglers and other criminals during “hours of darkness”.

Border guards on both sides have the responsibility to ensure safety and security of the people living along the bordering areas, Hussain said.