Rajnath to visit Bangladesh; to discuss anti-terror cooperation, radicalisation

Anti-terror cooperation and ways to check radicalisation of youths will be high on the agenda during Home Minister Rajnath Singh's visit to Bangladesh next month, officials said today.

During the three-day visit beginning July 14, the home minister is also expected to meet Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and discuss various bilateral issues.

In his meeting with Bangladesh Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan, Singh will discuss how to strengthen the anti-terror mechanism between the two countries and check radicalisation of youths by terrorist groups, a home ministry official said.

Singh, who will be accompanied by top officials of the home ministry and Border Security Force, will also discuss how to strengthen the existing mechanism set up to check movement of illegal immigrants, smuggling of cattle, arms and ammunition, narcotics and other items through the porus Indo-Bangla border.

The Indian side is expected to take up the issue of the continuous inflow of fake Indian currency notes (FICN) from across the border and the attacks on its personnel by criminals based in Bangladesh.

The FICN with face value of about Rs 13.66 lakh have been seized along the border till March this year, another official said, adding the FICN with face value of more than Rs 68.96 lakh were confiscated last year.

The attacks on BSF personnel by criminals based in Bangladesh is expected to be flagged by the Indan side during the delegation level talks.

Two BSF men were killed and 122 injured in criminal attacks on this frontier last year. 109 personnel were injured in 2016, the official said.

All these issues are a big concern for India and for the overall security situation on the India-Bangladesh international border and the talks will aim at finding better solutions to reduce and stop these instances, the officer said.

The Bangladesh side is expected to raise the issue of their nationals being killed or injured in BSF firing at the border and the illegal transport of drugs into their territory from the Indian side.

India shares a 4,096-km-long border with Bangladesh.