BADARPUR, Aug 29 � Close on the heels of the BJP, VHP, Shiv Sena, Bajrang Dal and Hindu Suraksha Mancha vehemently opposing the decision of the Centre to hand over Indian territory in Karimganj district to Bangladesh, the All Assam Students' Union (AASU) too has threatened to launch a State-wide movement if the Government did not reconsider its decision.
While a final decision by the Centre in this regard is still awaited, AASU adviser Dr Samujjal Kumar Bhattacharyya while talking to this correspondent telephonically opined, "it is indeed surprising that even after 26 years of signing of the Assam Accord, the 272 km long Indo-Bangla border is yet to be fully sealed by the powers that be in New Delhi�.
In the meantime, no formal agreement has been arrived at by Delhi or Dhaka to hand over the disputed Indian land to the Bangladesh government.
Earlier, the BJP summarily rejected the reported statement by Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi on August 26 that if decided by the Centre, Assam would part with some of its land to Bangladesh. This was made known on August 27 by BJP spokesman and national council member Sarbananda Sonowal, who said that the offer, if correctly reported, is unheard of and absurd.
He said that Gogoi is giving out misleading signals to the people of Assam by saying that plots of Assam land may be yielded to Bangladesh without any quid pro quo. Sonowal added that this could lead to unnecessary turmoil in Assam at a time when India and Bangladesh may be trying to further bolster friendly relations.
Sonowal expressed surprise that an elected Chief Minister of a State is volunteering to give away land to a foreign country, instead of asserting the State's absolute right over its land.
In the light of the above, it may be mentioned that the State Government, as and when advised by the Centre, will hand over approximately 750 bighas of Assam land under Patherkandi LAC of Karimganj district, i.e., at Lathitila and Dumabaroi, to Bangladesh.
As of now, 120.25 acres in Dumabaroi area, 70.70 acres at Lathitila, 39.44 acres at Barpathini and 12.87 acres in Karkhana Pathini area, i.e., Indian territory pertaining to Karimganj district, is already under the domain of Bangladesh.
During the Indo-Pak war of 1965, these vast areas of land went to Pakistan, though it is presently termed as disputed territory. Further, going by official records, the location of the Bangladesh Rifles camp at Lathitila-Dumabaroi border area was once upon a time a Border Security Force camp rightfully belonging to India. This camp untimately came under Pakistani control after the 1965 war.
Though successive governments in New Delhi have urged their Pakistani counterpart to had over the disputed territory to India, Islamabad has thus far not heeded the repeated pleas. In due course, the Bangladesh government too has adopted a similar stand on the issue, as India�s request to hand over the disputed area has all along fallen on deaf ears.
