Indian peace mission signal
SUJAN DUTTA
New Delhi, Feb. 26: India is offering to send a peace mission beyond
borders to give security to the Calcutta-Dhaka-Calcutta Moitree
Express on an explicit request from Dhaka in the wake of the mutiny by
soldiers of the Bangladesh Rifles, highly placed sources in New Delhi
have told The Telegraph.
As of today, the Moitree Express that runs between Calcutta and Dhaka
is suspended — it runs between the two capitals on Saturdays and
Sundays — because of the BDR uprising. Indian and Bangladeshi armies
are currently engaged in a first joint training mission in Jalpaiguri
for two weeks since February 22.
Yesterday, as two Indian goods trains that make a daily run to
Darshana in Bangladesh to transport essential commodities were to
enter Bangladesh, there was no one available at the BDR outposts
beyond the border pillar to open the massive iron gates that would
allow the trains into Bangladesh. The commanding officers of the BDR —
actually army officers — had to clang open the gates themselves.
Since Sri Lanka, such a venture to Bangladesh would be the first
international bilateral peace mission by India. The Indian
Peacekeeping Force of the army to Sri Lanka got embroiled in a tragic
war and was aborted at enormous cost to life and limb.
In this instance, India is considering paramilitary forces such as the
Central Reserve Police Force, the Railway Protection Force or, if
Dhaka agrees, even the Border Security Force, with the exclusive
mandate of escorting the trains, protecting passengers and preventing
damage to engines and rakes of the goods trains.
The train from Calcutta crosses the border after Gede in Bengal,
passes through a metal carriageway, at the entrance for which the
gates are opened by the Border Security Force on the Indian side,
rolls over the tracks on no-man's land, still through the metal cage
at the end of which huge gates are opened by personnel of the
Bangladesh Rifles for the train to enter into Bangladesh.
At this point, the security of the train is handed over from India's
Railway Protection Force to its Bangladeshi counterpart and for the
border security to the Bangladesh Rifles.
In the proposal that is now being considered -- because the Bangladesh
Army does not trust the Bangladesh Rifles and the Bangladesh Rifles
has no confidence in its officers of the Bangladesh Army -- an Indian
agency is offering to take over the responsibility.
For the UPA government in New Delhi and Sheikh Hasina's government in
Dhaka, it is a grand statement that local disputes will not be allowed
to take bilateral and cultural linkages hostage. Pranab Mukherjee and
Sheikh Hasina, personal acquaintances themselves, are understood to be
considering the move seriously.
They have concluded it is not worth shutting down the train that has
meant so much when it was opened on Poila Boishakh last April.
It also is an eloquent illustration of Manmohan Singh's message to
neighbours that India is willing to give friendly countries a stake in
its development. The train is popular with Bangladeshis many of whom
visit India for medical care.
Last year, there was a move from a hawkish section of the
establishment in New Delhi to stop the train altogether when police
alleged the hand of elements of the Harkat ul Jehad Ul Islam, based in
Bangladesh, in blasts in Hyderabad. But a determined officer in Dhaka
and the ambassador there put up a strong defence of continuing with
the service.
Of the 538 km between Calcutta and Dhaka, 418 km is in Bangladesh and
120 km is in Bengal (India) but the symbolism it covers is greater
than the distance.
http://www.telegraphindia.com/1090227/jsp/frontpage/story_10599074.jsp
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