Photography controversy at border panel meeting

Statesman News Service

MAHADIPUR (Malda/India), Jan. 30. — A day-long sector commander level border coordination meet was held at Mahadipur border outpost in Malda on Monday. While Indian photographers were prevented from taking snaps of the programme, even from outside, Bangla border guards were allowed to shoot video footage of the entire location, including BSF’s watch towers.The deputy inspector general of BSF-Berhampur sector, Mr GK Sharma, threatened the Indian photographers by saying that their cameras would be seized if they continued to take pictures after the Bangladeshi team arrived. Mr Sharma did not want to talk to the press about the meeting despite several requests. Mr T Lal, a BSF official, informed higher authorities when three Bangladeshi officials started taking snaps from the main watch tower at Mahadipur immigration check post. “It is up to the level of top officials. We can not prevent them now,” he said. The BSF allowed the Bangladeshi officials to continue taking snaps after higher officials advised them to do so. The Bangladeshi team came to Mahadipur at about 10 am and left for Bangladesh in late evening. The assistant commandant of the Mahadipur border out post, Mr P K Roy, told this correspondent: “We will send the resolution of the meeting to the government soon. We discussed several issues including the present situation and the relation between the two countries.” He disclosed that the DIG had not given him permission to talk to the press about the meeting. The security guards of the top BSF officials said that the discussion was healthy and there was no altercation at the closed-door meeting. On the other hand, officials at the immigration checkpost expressed their unhappiness at the high-handed attitude of the top BSF officials because they were not informed about the Bangladeshi team. They criticised the higher officials by saying: “The BSF has spent Rs 4000 only for meat.” Export was suspended for over three hours due to the border coordination meeting, said Mahadipur customs officials.