Indo-Bangla border convention begins in Delhi today

A five-day 'border coordination convention' between the Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) and the Border Security Force (BSF) of India kicks off at the BSF headquarters in New Delhi today (Wednesday), reports UNB.

BGB director general Maj Gen Aziz Ahmed will lead a 20-member delegation, including the Narcotics Control Directorate director general and officials of Home Ministry, Foreign Ministry, Bangladesh-India Joint River Commission and Land Records Department, to the convention, said a press release Tuesday.

The Indian delegation will be headed by BSF director general Debendra Kumar Pathak.

BSF special director general (east), high officials of the BSF headquarters, frontier IGs and officials of Home Ministry and Foreign Ministry of India will constitute the 22-member delegation.

Various issues, including the killing and injuring unarmed Bangladeshi citizens by BSF members along the border, arrests, detention, abduction and oppression of Bangladeshi citizens by the Indian border guards, attacks on BGB members by their Indian counterparts, smuggling of arms, ammunition and drugs into Bangladesh, illegal trespassing into Bangladesh, ways to build mutual reliance on developmental works and construction works within 150-metre of the border, are likely to come up for discussions at the convention.

A joint record of discussion (JRD) of the convention will be signed on August 24, the release added.