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The outgoing Indian High Commissioner, Mani Lal Tripathi, has alleged that northeastern insurgents maintaining criminal links were still being given "special treatment" in Dhaka.
"Samjib Dev Burman, an insurgent leader in Tripura, continues to live and operate from here even though he has not been formally given political asylum. Anup Chetia, wanted in India for several crimes and jailed in Dhaka for violating your own laws, is allowed class 1 status in prison," Mr. Tripathy said at a speech delivered at a dinner hosted by the main opposition party, Awami League, here last night.
The diplomat who voiced "India's major concern" with regard to the "encouragement and support to the insurgent groups of the northeastern states," alleged that the convicted ULFA leader had been provided with a cell phone "to keep in touch with fellow-criminals" in India.
Mr. Tripathi who is leaving on October 30 to take up his new assignment in Tokyo, also took exception to some public comments by ruling party leaders that Delhi still believed in "akhand Bharat" (undivided India). "We pose no threat to the sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity of Bangladesh."
Referring to a ruling party lawmaker's comparison of Anup Chetia with "Bangabandhu" (Sheikh Mujibur Rahman), the envoy pointed out that such remarks amounted to "politically endorsing a secessionist movement" in a part of his country, and were "contrary to the Government's professed policy and inconsistent with good neighbourly relations". He also cited some public statements by retired and in-service Army personnel that called India an "enemy" of Bangladesh.
"India is a friend of Bangladesh and therefore a friend of all political forces and parties in this country which stand for a modern democratic and pluralistic Bangladesh," he said, adding "it is the privilege of your people to choose those who stand for genuinely good neighbourly relations with India."
He also talked about free-trade agreement, demarcation of land boundaries, river-link project, road and rail transit and illegal immigration to India. Leaders of different political parties, businessmen, diplomats and members of the civil society attended the farewell dinner.
On the river-link project, the envoy said India's position was explained in the last Joint River Commission meeting but added: "it would have been helpful if Dhaka had first ascertained the facts before lodging a protest on the basis of press reports, before approaching the World Bank to block funds. The impression created was that you are interested in a water-related issue, not in water as such. God has been kind in blessing our country with adequate territory. We do not covet even a square inch of the land in our neighbourhood. We pose no threat to the sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity of Bangladesh. Our people were therefore pained when someone in the Government here publicly commented that India still believes in `undivided India', annexing territories from the Khyber Pass to Chittagong and from the Himalayas to the Indian Ocean. Such comments are irresponsible."
Mr. Tripathy paid homage to the
freedom fighters 1971 and also to Indians who sacrificed their lives for
the independence of Bangladesh.
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