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Mamata Banerjee, Bengal Chief Minister (File).
Kolkata:
The arrest of two key accused within the Rameshwaram Cafe blast case – tracked from Bengaluru to Bengal’s East Midnapore district – has triggered a predictable political slugfest between the state’s ruling Trinamool Congress and the opposition Bharatiya Janata Occasion forward of the election.
Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, at an election rally in Dinhata in Bengal’s Cooch Behar, hit again at barbs the state had grow to be a “protected haven for terrorists” below her rule. Ms Banerjee, a fierce and vocal critic of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his BJP, identified, “The lads (who have been arrested) will not be residents of Bengal… they have been hiding out right here. They have been arrested in two hours.”
“The BJP can’t stand it if there may be peace in Bengal,” the Trinamool boss raged, asking if BJP-ruled states like Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, and Bihar have been any safer.
Senior Trinamool chief Kunal Ghosh additionally shot again on the BJP’s assaults, stating the arresting company – the Nationwide Investigation Company or NIA – “needed to settle for lively cooperation of state police”.
“Their press launch mentions cooperation of state police in arrests they made,” he asserted.
Mr Ghosh stated police in Bengal stay “steadfast in suppressing anti-national forces” and are at all times able to cooperate with different businesses. He referred to experiences the NIA had questioned a BJP employee in reference to the March 1 blast on the standard Rameshwaram Cafe, wherein 10 individuals have been injured.
The lads arrested this morning – Mussavir Hussain Shazeb and Abdul Matheen Taha – are believed to be key conspirators; Taha allegedly dealt with the logistics whereas Shazeb planted the bomb. They have been traced to Kanthi, or Contai, a small metropolis 180 km from Kolkata within the Purba Medinipur district.
READ | 2 Males Who Planted Bomb At Bengaluru Cafe Arrested From Bengal
Considerably, Kanthi is the stronghold of the BJP’s Suvendu Adhikari, who was as soon as a detailed aide of Ms Banerjee earlier than he crossed over, simply weeks earlier than the 2021 Bengal Meeting election. Mr Adhikari went on to defeat Ms Banerjee in a high-profile conflict from the distinguished Nandigram seat.
In feedback seen as jibes at Mr Adhikari, Trinamool leaders have referred to a “distinguished political household” within the area and alleged hyperlinks between that household and the Rameshwaram Cafe bombers.
“Why have been they present in Kanthi… what’s the connection there? Our chairperson, Mamata Banerjee, additionally raised the query of how they discovered shelter in Kanthi?” the Trinamool’s Dr Shashi Panja stated.
“BJP is attempting to keep away from this and therefore they’re diverting individuals’s consideration,” she claimed.
The indignant retorts by the Trinamool leaders got here after the BJP’s Amit Malviya posted on X (previously Twitter) about Shazeb and Taha’s arrests, and stated “each probably belong to ISIS cell in Karnataka”.
Mr Malviya’s submit was swiftly fact-checked by Bengal Police.
The proactive function of WBP within the matter has been formally acknowledged by the Central Companies.
West Bengal has NEVER been a protected haven for terrorists and the state police will proceed to stay ever-vigilant in retaining its individuals protected from nefarious actions. (2/2)
— West Bengal Police (@WBPolice) April 12, 2024
The police stated “opposite to Amit Malviya’s claims” the 2 accused had been arrested after a joint operation involving themselves and central intelligence businesses. “The proactive function of West Bengal Police… has been formally acknowledged by the central businesses. West Bengal has NEVER been a protected haven for terrorists and the state police will proceed to stay ever-vigilant…” the cops stated.
The Rameshwaram Cafe, which suffered intensive harm after the blast, reopened eight days later, with enhanced safety measures together with steel detectors.
READ | Bengaluru’s Rameshwaram Cafe Reopens 8 Days After Blast
“We’ve got strengthened our safety staff and are additionally attempting to arrange a separate panel of ex-servicemen who will prepare safety guards in any respect our branches,” co-founder Raghavendra Rao stated.
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