Bombs 'meant for Bangladesh'
A probe has found that explosives manufactured in West Bengal's Burdwan town were being sent to Bangladesh, Indian media reported, attributing investigators.
This could be the first evidence that the state was being used for terror activities across the border in Bangladesh -- an embarrassment for the Mamata Banerjee government, already under fire for not cracking down on Bangladesh-based terror groups in the state.
“All these explosives were being sent to Bangladesh,” a CID official, requesting anonymity, told Hindustan Times.
“After taking over the reins of Bangladesh, Sheikh Hasina launched a crackdown on terror outfits and Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen operatives were forced to shift some of their operations out of the country. The easiest alternative was Bengal. We have come to know they started producing explosives since November last year.”
The CID will hand over its report to the National Intelligence Agency (NIA).
The Indian Express adds: after confirming that the bomb manufacturing unit that was in operation in Burdwan before the blast there on October 2 was organised and funded by Bangladesh-based terror outfits, the CID on Thursday identified the destination for the bomb consignments to be Rajshahi.
The investigators claimed the bombs were being supplied to Bangladesh during the recent political chaos to ensure minorities' protection in the bordering districts of Bengal.
Interrogation of one of the suspects, Hassem Ali, revealed that the consignment of bombs was being prepared to be delivered to a person at Rajshahi, the newspaper wrote.
Kausar, the alleged kingpin of the bomb-making unit and an absconding suspect, was supposed to receive it and depart for Rajshahi.
The border points and the transporters were also fixed for the delivery.
A senior CID official said, “We had been trying to apprehend Kausar and we had some information of him crossing the border on October 2, the day the blast took place in a house of Burdwan town's Khagragarh leaving two suspected militants dead and another person injured.
In another major development, India's National Investigation Agency began its probe into the Burdwan blast by registering a case in New Delhi, while eight more persons were arrested in connection with the incident.
Of the eight, two were arrested at their homes at Ketugram in Burdwan yesterday on charges of selling SIM cards to the terror suspects.
They were held after interrogating four persons arrested earlier, reports The Daily Star's New Delhi correspondent.
Six others were arrested from Barpeta district of northeastern state of Assam; they have suspected links with terror organisations, officials said.
MAMATA ATTACKS CENTRE
The West Bengal Government was reportedly trying to downplay the Bangladesh connection and the CID was criticised for not handling the investigation properly.
On Thursday, the central government handed over the probe to the NIA bypassing the state government after one arrestee allegedly told investigators that the bombs they were assembling were meant for terror strikes in Bangladesh.
The decision apparently angered West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.
Yesterday, she attacked the government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying there was an increasing trend of interference in state matters ever since the new BJP-led federal government took over.
This is "unprecedented, undemocratic and unethical", she wrote on her Facebook page.
“This marks a dangerous signal of violation of the constitutional norms, jeopardising the federal structure and democratic fibre of our country,” Mamata said without mentioning the Burdwan blast.
"Ever since the new government has come to power at the Centre, there is an increasing trend of interference by the central government in the state matters."
The Mamata administration reportedly said the federal Indian government took the decision to hand over Burdwan blast probe to the NIA suo moto and "no opinion has been given by the state government".
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