PARANOIA TOWARD BANGLADESH THRIVES IN INDIA'S WEST

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 DHAKA 000939 SENSITIVE SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/03/2018 TAGS: PTER KDEM BG IN SUBJECT: PARANOIA TOWARD BANGLADESH THRIVES IN INDIA'S WEST BENGAL Classified By: A/DCM Gary Mignano. Reasons: 1.4 (b) and (d) -------------- SUMMARY -------------- ¶1. (C) Paranoia toward Bangladesh and its majority Moslem population runs high among some of the elite in the neighboring Indian state of West Bengal, which is predominantly Hindu. While Bangladesh and West Bengal share a common language and a rich Bengali culture, some West Bengal Hindus allege that Bangladesh at least tacitly supports anti-India terrorism and express alarm that illegal migration into the state is fundamentally changing its religious demographics. The intensity of anti-Bangladesh sentiment among at least a portion of West Bengal's Hindu elite hardly augers well for improvement in the often tense relationship between India and Bangladesh. Some of them have had only limited contact with Bangladeshi officials and intelligentsia; regional and private-sector driven "Track Two" approaches to South Asia security may be one way to remove misunderstandings between the two sides. -------------- FEAR AND LOATHING IN WEST BENGAL -------------- ¶2. (C) A cigarette lighter shaped as a grenade sits atop the cluttered desk of D. Mitra, additional director general of police for railways in the Indian state of West Bengal. It is an appropriate accessory for an official of incendiary opinions on the threat posed from neighboring Bangladesh. During discussion in Kolkata with visiting Dhaka PolOff on August 27, Mitra listed a lengthy litany of complaints. India's archrival, Pakistan, he claimed, had taken over Bangladesh. Pakistan's premier intelligence agency, the Directorate General of Interservices Intelligence, backed by Islamic zealots controlled Bangladesh's army and Directorate General of Forces Intelligence, all of which were working to make India "bleed from 1,000 cuts." Meanwhile, he said, illegal immigration from Bangladesh across a porous border was sharply increasing the Moslem proportion of West Bengal's population. Ultimately, Hindus would become a minority in the state because Moslems, he said, "breed like pigs." Mitra said he would flee the state before that demographic change occurred. ¶3. (C) While Mitra's remarks were particularly crude and outlandish, they reflected anti-Bangladesh and often anti-Moslem sentiments held by some other members of Kolkata's elite with whom PolOff met. These included a former deputy director of India's foreign intelligence body, the Research and Analysis Wing; two former generals who run the Center for Eastern and Northeastern Regional Studies think tank; and Jayanta Kumar Ray, the director of the Maulana Abul Kalam Azad Institute of Asian Studies, which is affiliatied with India's Ministry of Culture. Among their allegations were Bangladesh was a safe haven for Indian terrorists; the Bangladesh government supported violent Islam; and Bangladesh was in cahoots with China against India. "Almost nothing can be done" to improve bilateral relations, said Ray. "The Bangladesh government has not taken action against hardline Muslims." ¶4. (C) What these people say matters. They frequently write op-ed pieces in local media, shaping popular perceptions against Bangladesh. And in the case of Mitra, his strident views toward Bangladesh helped sabotage a renewed rail link between Dhaka and Kolkata that proponents said would boost ties between the two biggest Bengali cities. "I was opposed to the link from Day One," said Mitra, who was assistant director general of police for borders in West Bengal when the project was initiated. He said it took two years for the government to meet the security requirements he demanded, including beefed up border patrols and several imposing fences, which greatly irritated the Bangladeshis. Although the service restarted in April with great fanfare after a 43-year hiatus, ridership has been disappointing because immigration and customs procedures at the border crossing can take six hours, about four times longer than for buses. "It's economically not viable," Mitra said with obvious glee, Still, he said he would be happier if the train did not run at all. -------------- IT'S NOT ALL GLOOM AND DOOM -------------- DHAKA 00000939 002 OF 002 ¶5. (C) For all the railing against Bangladesh, its people still maintain close ties with West Bengal. Nahida Rahman Shumona, Counsellor and Head of Chancery at the Deputy High Commission for Bangladesh in Kolkata, estimated about 30 percent of West Bengalis have roots in Bangladesh and would like to see their neighbor prosper. Many Bangladeshis come to Kolkata for medical care and to go shopping in the city's vibrant markets and name-brand stores. The Deputy High Commission issues about 250 visas a day for travel to Bangladesh, most for family visits and tourism but a small proportion for employment and investors. A common language ensures that Bangla-language books and movies are enjoyed by people on both sides of the border. And despite concerns about Islamist extremists and illegal immigrants entering West Bengal from Bangladesh, one leader of the Moslem community in Kolkata said he did not experience religious discrimination from his Hindu compatriots as a result. "There's little discrimination between Hindus and Moslems," said Dr. M. Nuruzzaman, chairman of the Minorities Cell of the All India Trinamool Congress, the leading opposition party in West Bengal. "I personally do not feel like a second class citizen." -------------- -------------- COMMENT: SEEKING TRACK TWO AND REGIONAL SOLUTIONS TO MISTRUST -------------- -------------- ¶6. (C) The mistrust of some West Bengali Hindus toward Bangladesh is disturbing and can only harm efforts to improve the often testy relations between the two countries. The USG may be able to help diffuse the tension by developing regional and Track Two, i.e. private, approaches toward improving security in South Asia. The USG Regional Security Initiative meeting in New Delhi on August 26 emphasized the importance of such regional efforts. They could be an effective vehicle for local officials and opinion-makers from Indian border states such as West Bengal to meet Bangladeshi counterparts whom they hardly know. Regular contact between the two countries' border forces and Home Secretaries suggest that keeping open lines of communication is essential to successfully manage the bilateral relationship. Rollins