Bangla force says no Indians captive

Bangladesh has denied that three missing RSS workers were taken to Bangladeshi territory by Tripura National Liberation Front abductors a year ago. Bangladesh Rifles (BDR) Director-General Reyazul Haider reportedly told BSF chief Ajai Raj Sharma that he could not find corraborative evidence of Indian intelligence reports about Sangh workers being taken to his country. He said this during the biannual conference of the two forces that concluded here today. Sources said Haider, however, promised he would reinvestigate the Indian allegations.

The men were abducted and presumably killed by Tripura National Liberation Front rebels. Indian charges that North-East militants were operating from Bangladesh territory evoked a strong ‘‘no’’ from BDR. BSF and BDR today, however, agreed to launch joint operations to check illegal trafficking of women and children.

The forces signed a joint declaration and pledged to exchange a list of habitual transborder criminals and gangs by December-end to stop human trafficking. Bangladesh claimed that trafficking of women and arms had reached alarming proportions at the border. To boost their image and lower tension at the border, the forces have agreed to coordinate at the ‘‘sector’’ level to monitor constructions for 150 yards on both sides of the international border.