archive: ISI using Siliguri corridor: Minister
ISI using Siliguri corridor: Minister
Pioneer News Service
The Pioneer
June 24, 1999
Title: ISI using Siliguri corridor: Minister
Author: Pioneer News Service
Publication: The Pioneer
Date: June 24, 1999
The Assembly became a battlefield as a combined Opposition cornered
the West Bengal Government on Wednesday over the bomb blast at New
Jalpaiguri railway station.
Demanding the resignation of state Home Minister Buddhadev
Bhattacharya, leader of the Congress Legislature Party Atish Sinha,
said there was no other option as the Minister had proved "incapable"
of handling insurgency that led to the blast.
Mr Sinha said that even after repeated" signals" from Central
intelligence sources, the State Government had failed to provide
security in the troubled north Bengal areas. Mr Bhattacharya himself
added to the Opposition fire by admitting on Tuesday that his office
had come to know of two "potentially dangerous" cases before the
station blast.
Mr Sinha said that it was strange" that the State Government had not
taken "steps" to prevent violence even after "taking note of" two
cases at Falakata and Alipurduar.
Faced by the Opposition fusillade, Mr Bhattacharya admitted in the
House that the ISI was indeed active in the area and was using
Siliguri as a "corridor." However, he did not say anything about the
possible suspects in the blast. He merely said the State government
was "working in close harmony" with the Army. Even the number of
arrests had been limited to questioning and picking up a few people
from New Jalpaiguri. The Minister then left the House to ponder on
his statement.
Mr Sinha said it proved that the State Government had not done its
homework and was "all at sea." He said, "Even after 24 hours of the
incident, which has such grave ramifications, the state intelligence
has not been able to make any headway. How can it protect the people
from such incidents in the future?"
Meanwhile MLAs engaged in a bitter hand-to-hand combat over the
blast. Congress MLA Tapas Banerjee said he had been "bitten" by
CPI(M) legislators. Paper missiles flew amid verbal canon balls.
Microphones were upturned. Speaker Hashim Abdul Halim helplessly
looked on.
CPI(M) legislator Rabin Deb said "not a single Congress MIA had been
assaulted" and that charges were baseless. "Whenever they want to
create a law and order situation, they try out the Assembly premises
first. This is no exception," he added.
The State Government acted immediately beefing up airport security as
well as deployment at the railway stations. Regular news bulletins
and flashes are going out on AIR and Doordarshan asking the people to
be careful about "handling unclaimed baggage anywhere."
Sources in Guwahati said intelligence agencies were also looking into
the possibility of involvement of the Kamatapur insurgents. This
group belongs to the Kochi-Rajbongshi tribe and have been demanding a
separate state carved out from areas in North Bengal. The Kochi
ultras are being directly helped by the ULFA.
Meanwhile, experts sifting through the rubble of the New Jalpaiguri
blast have determined it was caused by RDX hidden in a suitcase and
set off with a timer.
Official sources said the re-mains of a suitcase, a transistor and a
clock were found from the spot, where a four-member team of the
Central forensic laboratory and a CID bomb disposal unit were
working.
Inspector-General of Police (railways), Rajat Mazumdar, DIG,
operations, North Bengal N R Roy and CID special superintendent Jyoti
Ghosh were heading the investigation.
State inspector-general of police (law and order) Prasun Mukherjee
said the condition of five of the 19 injured Army jawans in hospital
was critical.
He said two injured jawans were shifted from Siliguri to the command
hospital, Calcutta, for treatment.
The Calcutta police said wire-less vans would patrol 15 more major
city intersections round-the-clock in view of the situation.
Pandemonium broke out in the Assembly as proceedings began for the day
with the Congress and Trinamool Congress legislators demanding Mr
Bhattacharya's resignation.
Congress legislators led by Sudhir Bhattacharya, Ashok Deb, Ranjanam
Majhi and Pankaj Banerjee and the lone Trinamool Congress member
Shovan Deb Chattopadhyay rushed to the Well. They started thumping
the Speaker's podium and the tables of the Assembly secretary and the
reporters.
They also damaged some chairs and micro-phones. Amid the din,
Opposition legislators and some members of the Treasury benches
engaged in a scuffle.
Ruling party members, who also rushed to the Well, tried to prevent
Congress legislators from damaging the property of the House. As the
members refused to listen, Mr Halim adjourned the House for 30
minutes.
Congress legislators did not join proceedings when the House convened
again saying they had staged a walkout to protest the "unruly
behaviour" of the Treasury Bench members.
The situation went out of hand as CPI(M) members Upen Kisku, Rabin Deb
and Nishikanta Mehta walked towards the Congressmen and jostled with
them, compelling speaker H A Halim to adjourn the House for another
half-an-hour. Congress members did not return to the House when it
resumed after the adjournment. The Trinamool member, however, came
back.
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