New Delhi, Sept. 22: Delhi has contested Dhaka?s claims that Bangladeshi insurgents are operating out of India, and asserted that they could at best be called ?political activists?.

?There are no Bangladeshi insurgent groups in India,? home secretary Dhirendra Singh told reporters here today, referring to Dhaka?s ?perception? about Indian territory being used by some anti-Bangladesh elements.

Singh had led an Indian team to talks in Dhaka last week.

?Maybe some political activists but they are not of the same calibre as the armed people operating against India from Bangla territory,? he said, referring to the so-called insurgents listed by Dhaka at the talks.

Delhi has also taken the line that it discussed objections the Bangladeshi authorities raised with Indian security forces about erecting a fence within the 150-yard radius of zero line.

But Delhi clarified it would go ahead with the fence even if Dhaka did not withdraw its objections.

The fencing project along 285 km of heavily habitated area had been put off after objections from Bangladesh Rifles (BDR), which held up a 1975 agreement between both security forces that barred defence installations near the border.

Delhi described the objections as misinterpretation of the guidelines, and declared it would continue with the project if there was no favourable response from its neighbour by year-end.

Of the 4,000-km border, nearly 1,500 km has been fenced and the rest can be done by the March 2006 target, home ministry officials said.

They claimed there was some forward movement during the home secretary-level talks, with Dhaka agreeing in principle to coordinated patrolling along the border.

Singh announced the modalities would be discussed by the BSF and BDR at the next meeting of their directors-general.

But there are apprehensions that the BDR, clearly uncomfortable with the idea, may take longer than necessary to come to an agreement.