Extradition treaty: India, B'desh ink amendment

FROM A CORRESPONDENT

NEW DELHI, July 28: Further strengthening security relations, New Delhi and Dhaka on Thursday signed an amendment in Bilateral Extradition Treaty.

The amendment, according to a government official, paves the way for extradition of a person having police warrant against him or her.

The amendment to Article 10(3) of Bilateral Extradition Treaty between India and Bangladesh was signed in the presence of Home Minister Rajth Singh and his Bangladesh counterpart Asaduzzaman Khan at North Block on Thursday evening.  

The Awami League government in Bangladesh has recently approved the proposal to amend the extradition treaty between the two countries.

The Bangladesh cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasi in Dhaka had approved the proposal to amend the extradition treaty earlier this week. According to the new provision, no evidence will be required to extradite a suspected (convicted or under-trial suspects) crimil.

According to the new provision, if a judge, magistrate or a tribul in the country (Bangladesh), or any other authority of this ture issues a warrant against a person who is Indian, then he or she can seek extradition. On the contrary, a person from Bangladesh, who has a warrant against him here, may be living in India. India in that case will hand him over to Bangladesh for trial.

Although the extradition treaty came into effect in 2013, ULFA general secretary Anup Chetia could not be sent back from Bangladesh to India under it at that time because it required submission of proof. Similarly was the case of Nor Hossain, the prime accused in the seven-murder case of rayanganj in Bangladesh.

During Thursday's Home Ministry level meeting, Rajth Singh condemned the horrific terrorist attacks in Dhaka this month and conveyed his deepest condolences. He assured Bangladesh of India's fullest support and cooperation in its fight against terrorism, fundamentalism and radicalism.

"The two countries have to be vigilant at all times and channelize efforts to defeat terrorism and ensure peace, security and prosperity between the two countries," Singh said.

He also expressed satisfaction on the timely completion of all aspects of the Land Boundary Agreement of 1974 and its Protocol of 2011, signing of 30 boundary strip maps pertaining to erstwhile adverse possessions and un-demarcated areas, completion of ground demarcation work, orderly movement of those enclave dwellers who chose to move to mainland India, completion of citizenship formalities of erstwhile enclave residents on both sides etc.

During the talks, the two countries recalled Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasi's address in the wake of terrorist attacks in Bangladesh, emphasizing the need to be united in the fight against terrorism and to be vigilant against the nefarious designs of destabilizing elements in society, and appreciated various counter-terrorism measures undertaken by the Government of Bangladesh to fight extremist and radical elements.

The two sides agreed to further strengthen the ongoing cooperation between the security and investigative agencies of the two countries through a programme of training, capacity building, information exchanges, etc.

Both sides emphasized the importance of effective implementation of the Coordited Border Magement Plan (CBMP) to enhance cooperation between the border guarding forces of the two countries and to eble them to better monitor the identified vulnerable areas with a view to preventing crimil activities.