India’s Border Security Force has no plans to deploy unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV), popularly known as drone, along the Bangladesh border, its chief said Wednesday.
BSF Director General Shubhash Joshi also said he did not know why he had been attributed in a report run last week by Indian Express.
“We don’t know how it came. We immediately sent clarification through Press Trust of India [PTI] and it has been published. The BGB director general also clarified the matter several times he told it live on TV. I think it should have clarified whatever misgivings anybody may have,” he told journalists at Pilkhana.
He said they had not made any such plans. “We do not have any plans in the future to deploy any drones or any such thing.”
The five-day border co-ordination conference between BSF and BGB ended Wednesday. It was the 38th biannual meeting between the forces. The previous meeting was held in Delhi in March this year.
The Indian Express quoted the BSF chief saying that India was going to deploy drones along its borders with Bangladesh and Pakistan to keep heightened vigil. Standard operating procedure was being drafted with the air force to finalise the modalities of using the UAVs.
Following this, the foreign ministry sought clarifications from New Delhi. Then Indian High Commissioner to Dhaka Pankaj Saran said he also had learnt of the BSF plans through media reports.
At the end of the conference, BGB chief Maj Gen Aziz Ahmed and his counterpart signed a joint record of discussions. Later they talked to the journalists.
Responding to a question on Felani issue, the BSF chief reiterated that there would be a revision of the trial. “This is a judicial process which is ongoing. The competent authorities went through the entire proceedings of the trial and ordered a revision. This will be done in due course.”
He hoped that justice would be ensured. “The Indian judicial system is much respected all over the world. We cannot interfere, but our intension is very clear. We shall ensure the justice,” he said.
On border killings, Joshi claimed that the BSF had been working to bring down the deaths at zero-level. “It’s a joint responsibility. The number of killings and incidents of injury along the border is coming down gradually,” he said, adding that the BSF investigated each incident. “Our intention is very transparent.”
He cited three incidents where their men were sentenced to death for killing innocent people along the border, but claimed that their men open fire for self defence as “according to the Indian law, every citizen has the right of self defence.”
Asked whether unarmed Felani was a threat to the BSF soldiers, Joshi said this particular incident was “different” and it went for trial.
BGB chief Maj Gen Aziz Ahmed said: “We have decided to aware people of both countries not to cross the international border. Both the forcers will motivate its field-level personnel to stop unusual firing and to implement other issues which have been agreed.”
He said killings and torture along border had affected the bilateral relationship.
Earlier, the BGB chief earlier read out a written statement of issues they agreed upon. It reads: The Bangladesh side expressed its deep concern over the issues of killing, injury and beating of Bangladeshi nationals along the border. The Indian side also voiced deep concern over similar incidents. Both sides agreed that the incidents of death and loss of lives on the border were extremely unfortunate and regrettable, and agreed to take all possible measures to bring down the death toll further.
To prevent movement of criminals, smugglers and insurgents across the international boundary, they agreed to increase coordinated patrolling.
They also agreed to hold more meetings between the field-level functionaries and share real time intelligence. On security related issues, both the sides decided to adopt multiple channels of communication between the commanders at the root-level for quick and timely decisions.
The two frontiers agreed to continue close cooperation, including sharing of intelligence and interrogation report on traffickers’ details to prevent smuggling of fake currency and drugs.
It was also decided to complete the joint verification of unfenced patches at the earliest.
