Security beefed up for India

Bangladesh will beef up security during India's tour next month, the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) said on Sunday. The extra measures were called for following reports in the Indian media about security fears.

"I have talked to the BCCI secretary Niranjan Shah on Saturday and assured him of VVIP security for the team," Mahmudur Rahman, chief executive officer of the BCB, told Reuters. The Rapid Action Battalion will look after all security matters during the tour, which includes three one-day internationals and two Tests.

"Everything is ok. I have talked to the Bangladesh Cricket Board and have been assured that the players will be given top security," said Niranjan Shah, honorary secretary of the BCCI. He explained that the decision was not in the hands of the board and that they would wait for instructions from the government. "We will go as per directions given to us by the relevant government agencies. The sports ministry, foreign ministry and home ministry are all in the loop whenever India has to go on tour and we go by whatever directions are given to us."

This isn't the first time India have raised security concerns before a tour of Bangladesh. Their previous tour, in 2004, was put off by a day following threats made against the Indian squad by the previously unknown Harkat-ul Zihadi militant group. The Indian government gave the green light to go ahead with the tour after a five-man delegation sent by the BCCI assessed the security arrangements.

India begin their tour with the first ODI at Mirpur on May 10.