New Delhi, May 23: The foreign secretaries of India and Bangladesh will meet in June after over two years.

Shyam Saran and his Bangladesh counterpart Hemayatuddin are likely to meet in New Delhi on June 20-21. The foreign secretaries had last met in April 2003.

The meeting has been scheduled at a time when illegal immigration from Bangladesh has again been highlighted as a problem in Assam. There are indications this might spark bilateral problems unless taken seriously.

Of late, there have been instances in Assam of locals throwing out suspected illegal immigrants. The developments recall the days of the Assam agitation in the early eighties when majority ire was directed at religious minorities, leading to a bloodbath.

As yet, there is no reason for alarm. But Indian officials are worried the issue has been totally ignored by the Bangladesh media.

“The local media, which does not miss any opportunity to highlight an incident that can be shown as Bangladeshis being victimised by Indian authorities, has decided to ignore the Assam developments completely,” a senior Indian diplomat said.

“It seems there is a blanket ban on reporting anything related to these issues.”

Delhi feels the media blackout of developments in Assam means Dhaka is not dealing with matters seriously.

“If you don’t acknowledge illegal immigration as a problem, it also allows you not to discuss the issue at all,” a foreign ministry official said.

He said as long as Bangladesh refused to see immigration as a problem, it would continue to stand in the way of bettering bilateral ties.

That the foreign secretaries’ meeting is taking place after over two years reflects the “highs and lows” that bilateral relations go through. There is a strong view in South Block that Bangladesh is one of India’s most difficult neighbours.

The recent killing of a BSF jawan by the Bangladesh Rifles, Dhaka’s refusal to cooperate on Northeast insurgents camping on its soil and its decision to drag its feet on trade-related issues have strained bilateral ties further.

Dhaka has often accused Delhi of flexing its muscles but failing to show the large-heartedness expected of a bigger neighbour.

In a meeting on the sidelines of the Asia-Africa conference in Jakarta, foreign minister Natwar Singh and his Bangladesh counterpart Morshed Khan had tried to begin afresh by ironing out bilateral strains.

Next month’s meeting of foreign secretaries proposes to carry on the process.