February 12, 2014 15:36 IST
Several politicians from
West Bengal are under scrutiny for sheltering Jammat-e-Islami and Chaatra
Shibir operatives, says a Intelligence Bureau note to the Home Ministry. Vicky
Nanjappa reports
An Intelligence Bureau
note to Minister of State for Home, R P N Singh, states that terrorist groups
plan to bring in arms and ammunition to India across the porous Bangladesh
border. The consignment is expected to land in West Bengal.
This information is
significant as several leaders from the Trinamool Congress face allegations of
sheltering Jammat-e-Islami and Chaatra Shibir operatives.
IB officials say that
members of these outfits are being driven out of Bangladesh and are taking
refuge in West Bengal. Several politicians from the state are under scrutiny
for sheltering these operatives. The IB is monitoring these links and a couple
of names, including one who was recently elected to the Rajya Sabha, have
surfaced.
The IB says that some
MP’s who have had close links with the SIMI are shielding the Jamaat militants
in India, who have local support.
Nearly 40 militants, who
fled Bangladesh, are hiding in West Bengal, says the IB.
Like in Bihar, the
agencies have found it extremely hard to track down militants of the Jamaat in
West Bengal. While in Bihar it was the Indian Mujahideen, in West Bengal it is
the Jamaat and the SIMI that is a cause of worry.
They land in West Bengal
and are then whisked away to remote areas of the state. Even the local police
do not appear to be doing much. Often it has been found that the police are
deliberately tightlipped due to pressure from the top, an officer with the IB
said.
The TMC has often been
accused of patronising the politics of religious fundamentalism. Biman Bose of
the Left Front had said that the TMC was shielding Islamic fundamentalists who
have been rejected by Bangladesh.
“When Bangladesh police
operate in Satkhira, and Jamaat cadres have to flee, they get shelter from the
Trinamool MP in Basirhat,” Biman Bose had alleged.
Bose also made an
allegation against Ahmed Hassan, who was sent to the Rajya Sabha and said that
he was close to the Jamaat and was a correspondent of the Jamaat’s
newspaper, Naya Diganta.
He feels that this is an
attempt deliberately made to disrupt a drive undertaken by Bangladesh Prime
Minister Sheikh Hasina.
A few days ago Sheikh
Fazlul Karim Selim, a member of the Awami League in Bangladesh, had raised the
same issue. He made a request to West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee to
hand over Jamaat-e-Islami terrorists who had taken shelter in India.
Selim urged India not to
harbour these terrorists, who he said fled to the neighbouring country during
the joint force's recent operation in Satkhira.
Security agencies say
that the situation appears to be going from bad to worse and there are clear instructions
to put anyone supporting Bangladeshi militants on the radar.
The SIMI which has taken
refuge in Bangladesh has already shown what it is capable of. The operations of
the Indian Mujahideen, thanks to Amir Reza Khan, were largely witnessed in Bangladesh.
The protecting of Jamaat
operatives who naturally ally with the radical wing of the SIMI only adds to
the problem.
The Home Ministry says
that West Bengal is the easiest route for Bangladeshi militants to smuggle in
arms and ammunition. The radical SIMI on the other hand will aide this as they
have a lot of benefit and are looking to carry out strikes in India.
There is a sizeable SIMI
cadre that relies on political support as a result of which the Bangladesh
militants issue has blown out of proportion, Intelligence Bureau officials
point out.
It is important for
India to share a good rapport with Bangladesh since we face a common terrorism
problem. Bangladesh expects us to hand over these militants and also cooperate
to expect the same from them, IB officials also point out.
Vicky Nanjappa in Bengaluru
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