No solution on border standoff

As the plight of a group of snake charmers deteriorated sharply after five days of confinement on the zero point between Bangladesh and India, no solution was in sight till late last night. On the contrary, both the sides stiffened their stand in total disregard to the humanitarian aspect of the problem.

According to reports from the border in Coochbehar district in West Bengal, one company of the Bangladesh army has been stationed near the Bangladesh Rifles (BDR) border outpost at Lalmonirhat district, close to where the stranded snake charmers are squatting.

The BDR personnel also started digging a trench on their side sending aggressive signals across the border to their counterparts in India.

The India border guards - the Border Security Force - also did their bid to escalate the tension by deploying about 200 more armed personnel close to the site of the dispute.

They also evacuated three Indian villages close to the international border. About 150 women and children were asked to leave their home and hearth and find safe shelters in villages that were away from firing ranges of the BDR.

At one level these were undoubtedly "absurd" posturings because both the sides know that a clash is out of question particularly with all attention now riveted on this place. But these were probably necessary considering, as some circles pointed out, "it has now developed into a political battle".

A solution is increasingly becoming complicated, it was stated.

However, food and drinking water were scare for the snake charmers. Eyewitnesses who had been to the site also said that a number of children were suffering from fever. On Monday when the snake charmers made a desperate bid to enter Bangladesh, the BDR and local people drove them back. A number of people had sustained injuries during the scuffle.

Yesterday they were apprehensive about going back to their villages through this area even if there was a solution now. Instead, they urged the BSF to take them to some other border point from where they promised to sneak into Bangladesh.

But that was obviously not possible. As a result they continued to squat beneath the open sky and in biting cold. Undoubtedly, the situation was increasingly turning towards a humanitarian crisis.

In Kolkata, the deputy high commissioner for Bangladesh T. Hossain said that the problem persisted because Indian border guards were trying to "push people who were not Bangladeshi nationals.

How can we accept non-Bangladeshis to be pushed into our territory," he said giving indication that the stalemate might continue.