IBFS writes to two union ministers
May 23, 2010: Indo-Bhutan Friendship Society (IBFS) wrote to Indian’s two union ministers drawing their attention on the police officials involved in hindering the rights of the Bhutanese citizens.
In a letter dispatched to the home minister P. Chidambaram and external affairs minister S. M. Krishna, IBFS chairman Prof Anand Kumar said India police officials are helping the Bhutanese security officials in re-arresting such Bhutanese citizens who are released on bail by the Indian courts and whisking them illegally to Bhutan.
“It is more frequent in the states of West Bengal and Assam. We request you to kindly make inquires into the following two instances of such misdirected cooperation between our police and Bhutanese security officials.”
IBFS has mentioned two such case of Sangla Drukpa, a Bhutanese dissident arrested in Siliguri on February 1, 2002 for his alleged involvement in unlawful business and Tenzin Zangpo.
As soon as Drukpa’s arrest was known to Bhutanese authorities through Indian media, the Bhutanese security swiftly avail of bail for a non-bailable offence from the Siliguri Magistrate and whisked him away to Bhutan. On February 6, 2002 Kuensel had reported he was arrested on February 5 in Bhutan.
Similarly, Zangpo who was arrested on November 10, 2008 in Assam for his alleged role in Assam bomb blast, was granted bail by two CBI courts on March 30 and 31, 2009. He was released on April 6 at around 5: 30 pm from the Gawahati jail. Bhutanese security officials along with Indian security officials rearrested him from the Court premises within a few minutes, and whisked him away to Bhutan. Presently he is lodged in the Central Jail in Thimphu.
IBFS requested the ministers to kindly ensure that the people to people bond between India and Bhutan is not damaged due to such uncalled engagements of police officials.
It also feared security of Druk National Congress president Rongthong Kunley Dorji, whose extradition case against was withdrawn on April 21 this year.
INFS demanded security arrangement for Dorji who is keen to visit his friends, supporters and family members in different parts of India including border districts between Bhutan and India.
IBFS letter to Krishna mentioned that it is now equally important that India reviews its policies towards Bhutan under his leadership in order to promote new bond with young democratic government of Bhutan and more frequent people to people relationship between the masses of the two countries.
“A lot of harm was caused in last fifteen years due to our indifference towards their quest for democracy. We have also suffered due to our ignoring of the problems of Bhutanese refugee who are forced to live as refugee since 1990. The time has come to proactive policies and program in the sphere of culture, education, health, economy and environment. Indo-Bhutan Friendship Society will be happy to join you and your colleagues in this process,” the letter reads.