SHILLONG, JAN 12: Bangladesh and India on Monday decided to strengthen bilateral relationship and information sharing system at the districts-level to address different border-related-issues even as both the countries emphasized on the need to speed up verification process to facilitate repatriation of those lodged in the jails of both the countries.
The decision was taken at the first-ever bilateral meeting between the deputy commissioners of India and Bangladesh held at Pinewood Hotel on Monday.
A 28-member delegation from seven districts of Bangladesh was led by the Deputy Commissioner of Sylhet district Md Shahidul Islam while deputy commissioner of East Khasi Hills District Sanjay Goyal represented the team from Meghalaya.
“Today’s meeting will strengthen the friendship and relationship between the two countries and their counterpart districts,” Deputy Commissioner of Sylhet MdShahidul Islam told reporters after the meeting. He said, “Such meeting will also help to minimize the litigants that both the countries have and will make strong friendship between their districts.”
The meeting also decided to improve their information sharing system to deal with various border related issues.
“We have decided to exchange information at our level,” Deputy Commissioner of East Khasi Hills Sanjay Goyal said. According to him it has been observed that by sharing certain information on time, it can be beneficial to both the sides, whether it is related to certain events or it is related to some follow up of certain crimes.
Stating that the issue of repatriation was also taken up in the meeting, Goyal said that what both the nations realize is that at times there is an issue of verification which takes a lot of time in facilitating the repatriation of persons who has been lodged in the jails of both the countries.
“It is also observed that by the time of completion of their term of sentence, we are not able to repatriate them back because of want of the verification report from the other side which leads them to languishing in the jails beyond their term in certain cases,” Goyal informed.
Goyal further stated that this initiative will help in completing verification process faster so that such persons lodge in jail can be send back or repatriating to their respective country on time.
Islam, on the other hand, said that there are no statistics available with regards to the Bangladesh criminals lodged in Indian jails. He said, “Criminals are always criminals… They have no territory or no country and they have only one identity that they are criminals.”
Deputy Commissioner of Kurigram ABM Azad, however, said if the Indian side informs them about criminals on their side and give them a list Bangladesh will verify it and if it is true then will take action as per their law and India can take measures as per its land law.
Goyal added to what Azad said by informing that the meeting has agreed that in cases wherein repatriation of those who are convict, a list will be shared with all the deputy commissioners and Superintendent of Police (SPs).
“The officials have been requested to share a list with their counterparts. The case will have to inform the Ministry of Home Affairs and High Commissioner, which only then the verification process will happen,” Goyal added.
With regard to Indian insurgents in Bangladesh, Bangladesh officials said that there is no specific statistic available relating to the number of Indian insurgent camps in their territory but maintained that government is totally against any type of militant activities and asserted that Bangladesh never shelter them.
“If there is any information from India, it will be our duty to take stern action against the militants… but in principle, the government is totally against the militant activities,” Azad stated. – By Our Reporter
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