Delhi, July 26
While it might appear, on the face of it, that India is being obdurate and belligerent in rejecting efforts to induct United Nations observers on to both sides of the borders of East and West Bengal, on second thoughts Delhi's stand is quite understandable and perhaps even justified.

In the first place, Mrs Gandhi sees the suggestion as an insult for it would tend to equate India with Pakistan and thereby suggest that Delhi is partly responsible for the holocaust in East Bengal.

Reacting angrily to the proposal the other day, an Indian official said that if any country attempted to promote any plan to place United Nation observers in India “we would treat it as an unfriendly act”.

Voicing feelings inside and outside the Government, he went on to explain that his country, at great cost to its own economy, had accepted seven million refugees on humanitarian grounds. “President Yahya Khan is solely and wholly responsible for this tragedy, and yet we now find that the international community wants to send international observers to India as though we are the guilty party. It’s an insult”, he said.

Secondly, and perhaps more important, India believes that any attempt to internationalize the issue through United Nations observers would support Pakistan's claim that Indo-Pakistani tensions are primarily responsible for the tragedy in East Bengal.

As the Government official explained, India has consistently maintained that the political controversy must be settled between the East and West Bengalis. “We maintain that this is no longer an internal affair of Pakistan only inasmuch as it impinges upon our fabric because we have had to accept seven million refugees,” he said.

“Our first aim is to see a political settlement under which the refugees will return to their homes with credible guarantees for their safety and we believe this can be achieved only if West Pakistan and the elected representatives of the people of East Pakistan come to a political solution. India will be no party to this and we will certainly reject any proposal which will internationalize this question in West Pakistan’s favour.”

This statement is, perhaps, the kernel of Indian thinking. Mrs Gandhi is now reconciled to the fact that no realistic solution to the troubles in East Bengal can be achieved within the present framework of Pakistan and that if President Yahya is to be brought to his senses, East Bengali freedom fighters will have to continue to wage guerrilla warfare.

At the same time, the Prime Minister is aware of the West Bengalis' emotional support for the East Bengalis and as such she feels she cannot refuse to give the guerrillas sanctuary on this side of the border without provoking a sharp confrontation between the central Government and the already antagonistic state of West Bengal. As such, there can be no doubt that if Mrs Gandhi were to permit the United Nations observers access to the borders of West Bengal, she would also have to curtail the activities of the freedom fighters and in the eyes of her party, and the average Indian, she would be freezing the struggle for independence in West Pakistan's favour.

Thirdly, the Government official explained that India also objects to the proposals lor observers on the ground that a few observers could not possibly give guarantees to the refugees who might return to their homes across the 1,300 mile frontier.

“How could a handful of observers guarantee the safety of the refugees? You would need a peacekeeping task force to patrol every village if the world was concerned about their security and safety”, he said.

As an example, he cited the case of a villager from East Bengal who had fled his village after the Army moved in to wreak vengeance on members of the community who had pointed out a communal grave to British journalists who had visited the area the day before.

The school teacher who took the journalists around the village, was dragged out of his hut and shot in front or the village, the offiical said.

Under the circumstances, it is apparent that India will reject any attempt to place United Nations men on the borders and that guerrillas will continue to harass the West Pakistanis.

There can be no doubt that if this scenario unfolds. India would have no compunction in hitting back in both the western and eastern fronts and the subcontinent would be threatened by a war.

Our Geneva Correspondent writes: Pakistan has accepted a United Nations proposal to send an observer force to reception centres for refugees returning to East Pakistan, diplomatic sources here said today.

The aim of the force, consisting of civilians and totalling probably less than 100 people, would be to reassure the refugees and to encourage more to return, they said. There are 22 reception centres.

Mr John Kelly, who was formerly the London representative of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, leaves Geneva tomorrow for Dacca to take charge of the operation.