Legal notice seeks cancellation of 'Rail Transit' MoU with India

FE REPORT
A legal notice has been sent to the relevant government bodies demanding the cancellation of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with India concerning the 'Rail Transit' to connect India's Northeast states.
Supreme Court lawyer Md Mahmudul Hasan sent the notice on Wednesday, requesting the respondents to abrogate the agreement within seven working days of receipt.
The lawyer warned that if the agreement is not abrogated, he will file a writ petition with the High Court Division of the Supreme Court.
The notice was sent to the secretaries of railways, foreign affairs, home affairs and law.
The petition claims that the MoU between Bangladesh and India for 'Rail Transit' to connect India's Northeast states to its mainland poses a threat to Bangladesh's sovereignty and embroils it in possible future military conflicts with China.
Bangladesh this month signed a MoU with India's central government to provide 'Rail Transit', facilitating the neighbouring country to ensure easy connectivity between its mainland and Northeastern states.
The notice further says, "While rail connectivity between friendly nations is common, Bangladesh's rail transit with India's Northeast states is not a typical case. The situation in these states is not normal. Different insurgent groups seeking independence are active there."
On the other hand, India has a long-standing territorial dispute with China over Arunachal Pradesh. The two countries have even fought a war over the region in the past.
This dispute is one of the reasons India seeks rail transit to swiftly transport military equipment from its mainland to the Northeast states, says the notice.
Currently, India has a road and rail link to its Northeast states through the Siliguri Corridor, also known as the 'Chicken's Neck'. However, due to its proximity to China, India views Bangladesh's rail transit as a safer route for civil and military supplies.
For these reasons, the notice argues that granting rail transit to India poses a great risk to the country's sovereignty. "If there is a big war between China and India in the future, the Chinese military could launch missile attacks on Indian rails in the territory of Bangladesh to disrupt the military supply chain."
[email protected]