Detection of terror modules in Bengal triggers BJP-TMC spat

KOLKATA The arrest of 10 suspected terrorists across West Bengal in the past two weeks has triggered a major war of words between the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) and the Opposition Bharatiya Janata Party.

- SUPROTIM MUKHERJEE

While nine people were arrested within the state, one was arrested from Kasargod in Kerala in a joint operation by the Special Task Force of West Bengal Police and their Kerala counterparts.

The arrest followed the recent arrests of eight suspected members of terrorist outfit Ansar-al-Islam Bangladesh, who were planning to target the "Chicken's Neck" connecting West Bengal's Siliguri with the north-eastern states. The eight accused were allegedly running a sleeper cell across Kerala, Assam, and West Bengal.

"The objective of the sleeper cell was to recruit the local youth to engage in terrorist activities. They aimed to make the Chicken's Neck an active site of their activities," Supratim Sarkar, Additional Director General of Police (ADG), South Bengal, said.

Two of the arrested were from Murshidabad district and part of a group of eight people apprehended by Bengal, Kerala and Assam police teams.

The back-to-back arrests have raised a question mark over the security apparatus of Bengal, with the BJP questioning the "safe sanctuary" to terror modules under the watch of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.

The arrests also revealed the ease with which terror networks can procure Indian documents.

"First these elements cross over from Bangladesh and are given recognition by the panchayats which are run by the TMC and get ration cards issued in their names.

Then they use these to get voter ID cards and passports. There is a nexus between the TMC, the police and the post office workers who run the passport service centres. So, there is no verification at any stage because this helps the TMC electorally," said BJP Rajya Sabha MP Samik Bhattacharya who was earlier the MP from Basirhat which borders Bangladesh.