New Delhi, March 9
India and Bangladesh have mutually agreed to undertaken combined efforts to bring down incidents of trans-border crimes, human trafficking and illegal crossing alongside the International Border.
They have also agreed to cut down on incidents of attack on BSF personnel by Bangladesh-based criminals.
These agreements were reached during the 54th Director General-level coordination conference between the Border Security Force (BSF) and Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB), which was held in Dhaka between March 5 and 9.
BSF DG Nitin Agrawal and BGB chief Mohammad Ashrafuzzaman Siddiqui represented their respective forces in the conference.
Reiterating the need for synergistic efforts to uphold human rights and curb violence on the border, both sides agreed to work in partnership and engage professionally by enhancing joint patrolling, vigilance, intensifying public awareness programme, undertaking appropriate socio-economic development programme and sharing of real-time information in order to ensure that incidents of death at the border will be brought down to zero with mutual cooperation in near future.
Highlighting the importance of Coordinated Border Management Plan (CBMP) in curbing trans-border crimes, human trafficking and illegal crossing, both sides agreed to pursue and share real-time information and investigation reports of traffickers. They also assured to remain extra vigilant to curb such crimes and put all out efforts to make Indo-Bangladesh border crime-free. Both the sides also agreed to aid victims of human trafficking and to facilitate their rescue and rehabilitation as soon as possible as per law of the land.
The DG level talks are held twice every year, once in India and once in Bangladesh.