Dhaka, Oct 29, SPA -- Indian authorities have trucked hundreds of its Muslim citizens to the border with predominantly Islamic Bangladesh and tried unsuccessfully to force them at gunpoint to cross the frontier,Bangladeshi officials said Friday. There was no immediate reaction from Indian authorities tothe claim, although New Delhi has responded to similarallegations in the past by saying that those being deportedare Bangladeshis who illegally entered its territory insearch of work. Commanders of Bangladeshi border guards said on conditionof anonymity that their troops barred the Bengali-speakingMuslims, which included women and children, from crossingthe border at five different locations this week. They saidtheir forces even fired shots into the air to stop theforced deportation. Border security forces were on high alert following theincidents, the officials said. Bangladesh's Foreign Ministry on Thursday gave a protestletter to the Indian Embassy in Dhaka expressing concernabout reports that hundreds of Bengali-speaking Muslimswere being gathered at the border. "We have expressed our concern," Foreign MinisterMorshed Khan told reporters. "It should not be the policyof any country to push people into another country."--SPA1421 Local Time 1121 GMT www.spa.gov.sa/214101