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The government's handling of the killings of Border Security Force personnel by Bangladesh Rifles came in for severe criticism from several members at a meeting of the BJP parliamentary party in New Delhi on Tuesday.
"The manner in which the issue was handled by the government was improper and the reputation gained by the handling of Kargil has been completely eroded," the members felt, party sources said.
Expressing displeasure over the statement by External Affairs Minister Jaswant Singh on various measures taken by the government in handling the situation, some members said, "It was a knee jerk reaction by the government and it should have taken a tougher stand on the matter."
They were of the view that since India had played a key role in the liberation of Bangladesh in 1971, that country should have acted in a more responsible manner.
Even though friendship with Bangladesh was important, the government should adopt a tough stand on matters where it concerned brutal killing of Indian security forces, the members said.
Singh told members that ties of friendship exist between the two countries, and acts of criminal adventurism should not be permitted to affect these ties.
He said Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina had spoken to Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee conveying her concern over the incidents and assured a full investigation into all aspects of it including mutiliation of the bodies of the BSF personnel.
PTI
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