India to withdraw special passports

Official sources said the scheme, which had existed for nearly 34 years since its introduction in 1972 soon after the independence of Bangladesh, is no longer serving the purpose of promoting people-to-people contact and is being misused by militants and illegal immigrants.

The governments in India's seven northeastern states have already been informed of New Delhi's decision to scrap the special passport for Bangladesh, said the sources.

One of the major worries for India now over the scheme is that the passport issued under it is 'not machine-readable' and it is difficult to ascertain whether it is genuine or forged.

As a result, it has come to the notice of the government that many insurgents are misusing the passport for cross-border movement, said the sources.

While all other six northeastern states have agreed to withdrawal of the scheme, Tripura has voiced reservations, saying it had been beneficial to its residents for undertaking visits to Bangladesh, the sources added.