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Tara Shankar Sahay in New Delhi
Union Home Minister Lal Kishenchand Advani said on Thursday that India's efforts to normalize ties with Bangladesh regarding the Meghalaya border incident had succeeded and "the situation is fast returning to normal".
Briefing reporters on the meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Security at the prime minister's residence, Advani said, "I have to report to you that our efforts have succeeded. The Meghalaya village has been vacated by the Bangladesh security personnel and the firing has ceased."
Advani said the Border Security Force was now engaged in escorting the villagers back to their homes.
He said BSF Director General Gurbachan Jagat would be proceeding on Friday to the border and would apprise the government of the intricacies of the incident.
Advani said that as External Affairs Minister Jaswant Singh had underlined in the Rajya Sabha, the intrusion by Bangladesh Rifles personnel had come as a surprise to the government because India has friendly relations with Bangladesh.
He pointed out that although 15 BSF personnel had reportedly been killed in the incident, there was some confusion about the casualty figures. The Bangladeshi media had reported that there were 11 bodies and two wounded personnel with the BDR.
The home minister also denied that there had been any intelligence failure, arguing that the village concerned was not disputed territory.
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