India gives benefit of doubt to Bangladesh
India gives benefit of doubt to Bangladesh
NEW DELHI (AFP): India on Sunday absolved the Bangladesh
government of responsibility for the torture-related killing of
16 of its troops after the worst border clash in 30 years between
the two South Asian nations.
"We are given to understand that this was an action
unilaterally taken by the Bangladesh Rifles (BDR) and the
government of Bangladesh was not aware of it," Indian Home
Secretary Kamal Pande said in New Delhi.
India's conciliatory tone was based on statements made in
Dhaka on the non-involvement of Bangaldesh Prime Minister Sheikh
Hasina Wajed's government in the gruesome deaths of the 16 Border
Security Force (BSF) personnel.
"When the (Bangladeshi) foreign secretary is saying so, I
believe it is with some responsibility," Pande said, adding that
New Delhi hoped a probe started into the incident by Dhaka would
be an "open one".
New Delhi views Wajed as the most India-friendly leader
Bangladesh has had for some time, a mantle which has caused her
problems domestically.
Pande put the blame on the paramilitary BDR force, and
described the killings as "a brutal act of murder".
"It is quite clear that eight of the bodies have point-blank
bullet wounds. It is evident that injuries and the bullet wounds
could not have been obtained in firing," he said.
Two BSF personnel undergoing medical treatment in a hospital
in Dhaka and a body of another slain BSF guard would be handed
over to India later on Sunday, Pande said.
A clear picture of what happened to the 16 men would emerge
after the two wounded BSF personnel return, he added.
The home secretary, however, conceded the brutality had
angered the BSF, which has more than 120,000 heavily-armed troops
trained in border warfare.
"Yes, there is resentment on the ground," he said of the BSF
contingents deployed along the India-Bangladesh borders.
The absolution of premier Wajed's government in any wrong-
doing came a day after New Delhi lodged a strongly-worded protest
with Dhaka.
The horribly-mutilated bodies of the 16 BSF men returned
Friday by the BDR has sent waves of outrage across India with
demands now growing for tit-for-tat retaliations.
Indian premier Atal Behari Vajpayee was likely to make a
statement in parliament Monday to ward off an opposition attack
on his government's seemingly "blow-hot, blow-cold" stand on last
week's incidents on the borders, an official source said.
BSF chief Gurbachan Jagat toured the sites of the clashes and
speaking to reporters, he too condemned the 16 murders as
custodial deaths.
Pande's clean chit to premier Wajed's administration also came
after Jagat briefed top members of the Indian cabinet including
Home Minister L.K. Advani and Vajpayee.
Last week, BDR troops overran a BSF post in Pyrdiwah village,
100 kilometers (60 miles) east of Shillong, the provincial
capital of the northeastern Indian state of Meghalaya.
This was followed by skirmishes on the border of adjoining
Assam state, in which 19 guards from both sides, including the 16
BSF men were killed.
After visiting the area Jagat said the Indian guards were
killed by the BDR and not lynched by a Bangladeshi mob, as
claimed earlier.
"We suspect foul play," Jagat said.
Bangladesh, shares a 4,000-kilometer (2,500-mile) border with
its populous neighbor.